B A I
OLIO
99.5 FM
FEBRUARY 1990
On WBAI in February:
Malcolm X (center) • Feb. 21si
John Kani (lop left) - Feb. 9ih
James Baldwin (lop righl) - Feb. 26lh
Esther Hinds (bottom right) - Feb. 19th
Sapphire (bottom left) - Feb. 28
AFRICAN-AMERICAN HISTORY MONTH
Page 2
WBAI FM 99.5
REPORT TO THE LISTENER
Facilities Upgrade Campaign Goal is $1,000,000 in Listener Support for 1990
Very soon, all our subscribers will be receiving a letter from
me introducing our $1,000,000 campaign. This will be the
first in a series of letters to our subscribers asking for addi-
tional monetary assistance for our facilities upgrade.
As I have stated before, WBAI needs to improve and
upgrade all of its equipment, from the repair of the smal-
lest portable tape recorder to the complete overhaul of our
Master Control Room. We are producing and broadcasting
with equipment which is, for the most part, between 20 and
25 years old (almost as old as WBAI itself!). Needless to
say, this equipment does not have much of a life span left,
and we are mounting this campaign to raise the money
before it all breaks down forever.
fund, we need to put in $100,000 in 1990. In 1989, the sta-
tion received $815,000 in listener dollars, and with normal
growth 1990 will bring listener support up to $900,000. If
we raise the 1990 goal to an even $1 million, the extra
$1(X1,000 will be placed in a special account to be used ex-
clusively for equipment improvement and upgrade.
A prospectus will be available for viewing this month. If
you are interested, please call me and I will send you a
copy. In addition, if it is at all possible, please respond to
the campaign letter with a donation.
And of course, thank you for your response to our recent
Marathon. Without you, we would not be.
We need to raise a total of $550,000 over the next five years
for this purpose. In order to get a proper start for this
Rosemary Reed
Station Maaag^
WBAI
STAFF
General Manager
Rosemarie Reed
Program Director
Andrew Phillips
Assistant Manager / Development
Nydia Flores
Operations Director
Andy T. Wandzilak
Assistant Manager / Operations
Dan Finton
Operations Assistants
Max Schmid, Sidney Smith, Tom Whelan
Public Affairs Director
Mario Murillo
Arts Director
Bill Moore
Finance Director
Lisa North
Subscriptions / Computing
Allen Markman
Receptionist
Fred Kuhn
Premium Coordinator
Dorothy Altman
Administrative Assistant
Patrice Comninel
Ctilef Engineer
Bill Wells
Maintenance Engineer
Russ Landis
Production Engineers
Jennifer Bernet, Anthony Sloan
Engineers
Boris Cardenas, Tom Tortorella, S. Walden
News Anchors
Amy Goodman, Jennie Bourne
Julie Cohen (Reporter)
NEWS
Praiap Chatterjee, Lauren Comiteau, Eric
Corley, Evelyn Tully Costa, Paul DeRienzo,
VIpul Desai, Arianne Genillard, Sam Green,
Tom Hamilton, Michael G. Haskins, Sandra
Hernandez, Lillian Huang, David Isay, Jesse
Keyes , Robert Knight, Roger Kwame, Andy
Lanset, Marika Martin, Sasha Nyary, Donald
Rouse, David Sears, Nadine Shaw, Roy
Smith, Ron Stetler, Laura Sydell, Richard Vec-
chio, Eric Williams.
AFTER THE NEWS
Econonews: Maarten DeKadt, Richard
Schrader. International Affairs: Samori
Marksman. Labor and Community Issues:
Ken Nash and Mimi Rosenberg. Psychology
of Economics: Leo Cawley. Science/Peace:
Michio Kaku.
LIVE RADIO
Margot Adier, Creative Unify Collective, Bob
Fass, Mike Feder, Jim Freund, Paul Gorman,
Fred Herschkowitz, Citizen Kafka, Robert
Knight, Simon Loekle, R. Paul Martin,
Rosemari Mealy, David Rothenberg. Habte
Selassie, Sidney Smith, Carletta J. Walker,
Bernard White, Will K. Wilkins, Peter Lam-
born Wilson.
PUBLIC AFFAIRS
Gonzalo Aburto, Eva Yaa Asantewaa, Phyllis
Bennis, Dennis Bernstein, Lydia Bragger,
Elombe Brath, Jim Buck, Dave Burstein,
Andrew Byard, Leo Cawley, Lloyd D'Aguilar,
Martin DeKadt, Mick Dewan, Jerry Edwin,
Anne Frost, Barbara Glickstein, Larry Guten-
berg, Janet Hedman, Allen Herschkowitz,
Susan Heske, Paul Hoeffel, Jeannie Hopper,
Stuart Hutchison, Brandon Judell, Michio
Kaku, Judith Kallas, Hank Kee, Jesse Keyes,
Zenzile Kholsan, Joe King, Alice Krakauer,
John McDonagh, Diane Mancino, Diana
Mason, John Mason, David Mendelsohn,
Mario Murillo, Santiago Nieves, Sally O'Brien,
Kofi Pendergrass, Andrew Phillips, Valecia
Phillips, Anibal Pozzo, Susan Radosh, Sheila
Ryan, Richard Schrader, Scott Sommer,
Paula Tedesco, Valerie Van Isler, Ralph Vega,
Shelton Walden, Annette Walker, Carletta
Walker, Tom Whelan, Tom V/isker, Robert
Yuan.
ARTS
Jan Albert, Hernando Alvaricci, Al Angeloro,
Roxanne Aubrey, Alina Avila, Jennifer Bernet,
Sue Renee Bernstein, Rodney Black, Peter
Bochan, Ted Bonnitt, Dolores Brandon,
Susan Browne, Bill Canaday, Boris Car-
denas, Doug Cheesman, Anthony Coggi, Bill
Farrar, Phil Garfinkle, Frederick GeoBold, Ed-
ward Haber, Joseph Hurley, Msihmoud
Ibrahim, Chet Jackson, Kristen Johnson,
Dave Kenney, Manya La Bruja, Yusef
Lament, Julie Lyonn Lieberman, Simon
Loekle, Lee Lowenfish, Harold Lucious,
Michael Mabern, Darrell McNeill, Mickey
Melendez, Edward Menje, Susan Menje,
Lance Neal, Mike Nelson, David Nolan,
Mildred Norman, Gary Olson, Kofi
Pendergrass, Clare Pentecost, Valecia Phil-
lips, Tom Pomposello, Pat Rich, Nancy
Rodriguez, Lee Ryan, Michael Scarola, Don
Scherdin, Max Schmid, Regina Roiito Sokol,
Spyder, Victoria Starr, Dan Tepper, Tom Tor-
torella, Jordyn Tyson, Tom Vitale, Joyce
West, Christ Whent, Malika Lee Whitney.
ENGINEERS
Natalie Budells, Eric Corley, Ulysses T. Good,
Claude Horvath, Bob Parrett, Kofi
Pendergrass, David Smith, Peter Cedric
Smith. Tom Tortorella, Willie Wilson, Jr., Paul
Williams, Paul Wunder.
WBAI Local Board
Dorothy Altman (staff representative) Samuel
Anderson, Rosalind Lubelsky Bressler, Leslie
Cagan, Oymin Chin, Theodore Conani,
Miriam Dinerman, Renee Farmer, Kalhy
Goldman, Bray Healy, Anthony Mazzocchi,
Cecelia McCall, Rosemari Mealy, Philip Tajit-
su Nash, Steve Post, Charles Potter, Caryl
Ftatner, Paul Robeson, Jr., Nan Rubin,
Eugene Straus. Valerie Van Isler (staff repre-
sentative), Marjorie Waxman, Milton Zisman.
WBAI FOLIO
Editor
Sharon Griffiths
WBAJ FM 99.5
Page 3
February Specials
THURSDAY February 1
2:3qpm SURVIVAL OF AN AES-
THETIC: Black Ad In the 20th Century.
Featuring excerpts from a November
1989 synnposium of giants in Black litera-
ture, held at City College of New York.
7:30pm BUILDING BRIDGES. A Black
Labor Special, with reports from around
the country and the city on the history of
and current developments In Black
workers in the labor movement.
9:00pm THE AFRIKAN POETRY
THEATRE. Four poets from this Queens
cultural center talk about poetry and
recite from their works with host Bill
Moore.
MONDAY Februarys
9:30am ALWAYS REMEMBERED: A
Musical Tribute to Or. Martin Luther
King. Featuring music dedicated to him
and based on his speeches, including the
broadcast premiere of David Baker's
Through This Vale of Tears.
1:00pm LOOKING BACK/TOWARDS
THE FUTURE. Opening this series is an
interview with Rosa Parks, who on
December 1, 1955 quietly said "no" -thus
beginning the modern civil rights move-
ment.
8:00pm LIVE FROM THE EMPIRE
HOTEL A group of plays by David
Mamet and Shel Silverstein, written for
live radio presentation and performed by
the Atlantic Theater Company from the
Empire Hotel at Lincoln Center.
TUESDAY February 6
1:00pm LOOKING BACK/TOWARDS
THE FUTURE. James Farmer, former
rational Director of CORE, speaks about
the development of CORE.
2:30pm AMERICAN JAZZ RADIO FES-
TIVAL Trumpeter V\/inton Marsalis per-
forms the music of Duke Ellington with a
full orchestra of Ellington alumni.
7:30pm ARTHUR SCHOMBURG:
AFRO-LATIN SCHOLAR. This program
will explore the cultural dualism which
shaped the life and thought of this Black
Puerto Rican patriot who founded the
world's largest collection of research
materials on the African-American ex-
perience.
2:30pm AFRICAN HOLISTIC HEALTH.
A discussion of African health and nutri-
tion begins with Dr. Llaila O. Afrika,
author of African Holistic Health.
3:30pm HEALING AFRICAN
AMERICA: OUR NUTRITION.
Nutritionists offer a guide to issues cru-
cial to the health of the Black community.
MONDAY February 12
1:00pm LOOKING BACK/TOWARDS
THE FUTURE. Dr. Bernice Johnson
Reagon tells us about the music which
accompanied the civil rights movement
ar>d analyses the role that music played.
9:00pm THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE
SYSTEM: Its Function and Effect on
African-American*. The structure,
process and media involved in arrests,
releases and indictments: who gets ar-
rested, who gets charged, and why?
TUESDAY February 13
1:00pm LOOKING BACK/TOWARDS
THE FUTURE. The Rev. Ralph
Abernathy's speech in Washington, DC
at the Poor Peoples Campaign's
Solidarity Day in 1968.
SUNDAY February 18
6:00am DER RING DES NIBELUN-
GEN. Yes, its back! The long-standing
WBAI tradition of broadcasting the entire
Ring cycle. We will pre-empt all regularly
scheduled programming (except for the
evening news at 6pm) in order to bring
you not only the music (this year, the
Kraus recordings) but live and taped
commentary and interviews as well.
MONDAY February 19
10:30pm ROOTS AND ALEX HALEY.
Pulitzer prize-winning author Alex Haley
and his books are discussed, including
his work on The Autobiography of Mal-
colm X and A Different Kind of Christmas.
1:00pm LOOKING BACK/TOWARDS
THE FUTURE. "The Ballot Or the Bullet"
is one of Malcolm's X's most famous
speeches, and sheds light on the vision
which contributed greatly to the new
militancy within Black organizations of
that time.
2:30pm THE YOUTH AND THE ELEC-
TORAL PROCESS IN NICARAGUA.
The legal age to vote in Nicaragua is 16.
The youth today were about six years old
when Somoza was overthrown. To whom
do they owe their allegiances?
4:00pm STORIES FROM HOME. This
program brings you folktales from
Africans and African-Americans with
drums to set the feeling and mood.
TUESDAY February 20
7:30pm DR. W.E.B. DUBOIS: Father of
Pan-Africanism, Peace Activist and
Scholar. This program will examine the
life and works of the late African-
American freedom-fighter.
10:00pm AIDSTALK IV. PWA Larry
Gutenberg focuses on the issue of ser-
vices available to persons of color who
have AIDS. As has recently been acknow-
ledged and reported in the media, this
population is disproportionately affected
with the disease.
WEDNESDAY February 21
1 :00pm MALCOLM X: A RetrospM-
tive. This piece covers the life of Al-Hajj
Malik Al-Shabazz from his first impact
on the Black Power movement and the
Black Muslim movement in 1960 to his
assassination in 1965.
2:00pm THE PRICE OF FREEDOM IS
DEATH. On the 21st day of February,
1965, at a meeting of the OAAU in the
Audabon Ballroom in Harlem, shots rang
out - and Malcolm X was dead. What
impact does he carry today? How is he
viewed by the Third VVorld? Also, hear the
words from some of the most famous
speeches of this great African-American
hero, as well as music dedicated to and
inspired by him.
THURSDAY February 22
2:30pm AMERICAN MUSIC IN
CONFLICT. Anthony Davis is one of
North America's most important contem-
porary composers. His works include the
opera X: The Life and Times of Malcolm
X. He is the leader of the Anthony Davis
Group and Epistemi. He will discuss his
life as a classical composer.
MONDAY February 26
1:00pm LOOKING BACK/TOWARDS
THE FUTURE. James Baldwin, perhaps
one of the most important writers of the
20th century, discusses the issue of living
and growing in a White world.
1 :30pm EMILE DeANTONIO:
RADICAL ARTIST REMEMBERED. A
celebration of this pioneer of the "New
American Cinema" movement of the
1950s, where artists mixed politics and a
"liberation esthetic" into their work.
TUESDAY February 27
1:00pm LOOKING BACK/TOWARDS
THE FUTURE. A two-part special on Har-
riet Tubman. Born into slavery, she risked
her life and freedom after escaping to the
North by returning to the South 19 times,
leading over 300 men, women and
children to liberty by means of the Under-
ground FUilway. Part Two will air tomor-
row at this time.
10:00pm A PROFILE OF THREE
AFRICAN-AMERICAN AND CARIB-
BEAN FILMMAKERS. A close look at
Sinclair Bourne, US documentarian, who
most recently directed The Making of "Do
The Right Thing", children's filmmaker
Carmen Costeau, and Euzhan Paley,
director of A Dry White Season.
WEDNESDAY February 28
4:00pm ARE YOU READY TO ROCK?
A discussion with African-American writer
and performance artist Sapphire about
her new one-woman show Are You Ready
To Rock? Her themes usually explore
violence against women (including in-
cest), racism, sexism and heterosexism.
This program will explore each of these
themes through readings of her poetry,
music and interview.
Page 4
VV'BAI FM 99.5
THURSDAY February 1
6:00 THE MORNING MAGAZINE with
Dred Scott.
8:00 UNDERCURRENTS
8:30 THE MORNING MAGAZINE con-
tinues
9:30 SHOCKING BLUE. Music with
Delphine Blue.
12:00 NATURAL LIVING. Health and
nutrition with Gary Null.
1 :00 THIS WAY OUT. The international
magazine for and about the Lesbian
and Gay community, now heard every
Thursday.
1:30 LISTENERS' ACTION ON
HOMELESSNESS AND HOUSING.
2:30 SURVIVAL OF AN AESTHETIC:
Black Art In the 20th Century.
Featuring excerpts from a November
1989 symposium of giants in Black
literature, held at City College of New
York. Speakers include Toni Morrison,
Alice Walker, Margaret Walker, Amiri
Baraka and others. Produced by
Rosemari Mealy and Deborah Edwards,
professor of literature at Hunter College.
3:30 THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION
AND THE ENVIRONMENT: The
Rhetoric and the Record. In his cam-
paign for the Presidency, George Bush
promised to be the "environmental
President." One year after taking office,
his appointments to environmental
positions, reactions to disasters such as
the Alaska oil spill and positions at the
environmental conference earlier in the
year raise questions about his
promises. Join producer Jerry 0'-
Connell for an interesting discussion.
4:30 THE WBAI ARTS MAGAZINE.
Lee Ryan, host. Featuring the Evening
Sfilial at 4:30 and Frederick GeoBold's
Ughtshow
6:00 THE WBAI EVENING NEWS
6:45 UNDERCURRENTS
HIGHLIGHTS
7:00 BEHIND THE NEWS. An in-depth
discussion of the day's events,
produced by Samori Marksman.
7:30 BUILDING BRIDGES. The
community labor report with Mimi
Rosenberg and Ken Nash presents a
Black Labor Special, with reports from
around the country and the city on the
history of and current developments in
Black workers in the labor movement.
8:30 RADIO FREE EIREANN. A show
on Ireland and the Irish Freedom
struggle. Produced by Mick Dewan and
John McDonagh
9:00 THE AFRIKAN POETRY
THEATRE. Four poets from this
Queens cultural center talk about
poetry and recite from their works with
host Bill Moore. Produced by Lila Steele.
1 0:00 AFRIKALEIDOSCOPE with
Elombe Brath.
1 1 :00 NEWS REBROADCAST
11:45 LATE NIGHT LIVE RADIO
1:00 PRIMARY SOURCES. Uve radio
with interim host. Bob Fass.
3:30 LIVE AIR - or is it Dead Air?
Anyway, music and live stuff with
partners in crime David Nolan and
Doug Cheesman.
FRIDAY February!
6:00 THE MORNING MAGAZINE with
Will K. Wilkins.
8:00 UNDERCURRENTS
8:30 THE MORNING SHOW continues
9:30 THIRD WORLD MUSIC
MASTERS. Music with R.B. Isles.
12:00 NATURAL LIVING. Health and
nutrition issues with Gary Null.
1:00 SOUTH AFRICA NOW: THE
RADIO EDITION. A radio
newsmagazine on the events in
Southern Africa, delving into the story
behind the reports coming from South
Africa and the Frontline states. This pro-
gram defies the media ban/censorship
imposed by the Apartheid regime.
Produced by Globalvision Television
and adapted for radio by Sally O'Brien
and Zenzile Khoisan.
1 :30 HEALTHSTYLES. Current issues
in health care, with WBAI's Nursing and
■ Health Resources Network.
2:30 ALTERNATIVA LATINA. The
Alternativa Latina Collective brings you
up-to-date news and information on the
reality of Latin America and its people,
both here and abroad. The only bi-lin-
gual program focussing on the politics,
culture and history of Latin America,
this show includes the weekly feature,
produced by Gonzalo Aburto, Romoien-
do el Silencio (Breaking the Silence),
dealing with the issues affecting the
Gay and Lesbian Latino community.
4:30 THE WBAI ARTS MAGAZINE
with host Joseph Hurley, featuring the
Evening Serial at 4:30, and The
Screening Room at 5:30 with Paul
Wunder and Joseph Hurley reviewing
and discussing the latest films.
6:00 THE WBAI EVENING NEWS
6:45 DATELINE NICARAGUA. The
story behind the headlines - news and
features direct from Managua.
Produced by Julie Light
7:00 AIDS IN FOCUS, a weekly
magazine on the politics and culture of
the AIDS epidemic, produced by
Michael Alcalay.
7:1 5 FEARFUL SYMMETRY with Leo
Cawley.
8:00 WORKING TITLE. Readings
produced by Alina Avila.
8:30 A MOVEABLE FEAST. Authors
read and discuss their latest works with
Tom Vitale. Tonight, John Edgar
V^deman reads from his collection of
stories. Fever.
9:00 HOME FRIES. Uve radio,
comedy, music and call-ins with Fred
Herschkowitz.
10:30 BLACK ROCK COALITION
12:00 NIGHTFLYTE. Music with Chet
Jackson.
3:00 MUSIC FROM THE CENTER OF
THE EARTH with hosts Bill Wells and
Gary Olson.
SATURDAY Februarys
5:00 HOUR OF THE WOLF. Science
fiction, fantasy, enchantment, and the
imagination. Live radio with Jim Freund.
7:00 AS I PLEASE. "... for none of us
can ever express the exact measure of
his needs or thoughts or his sorrows;
and human speech is like a cracked
kettle on which we tap crude rhythms
for bears to dance to, while we long to
make music that will melt the stars."
8:30 ANY SATURDAY. Live radio with
David Rothenberg.
10:30 LUNCHPAIL. Live radio with Paul
Gorman.
12:30 PIPER IN THE MEADOW
STRAYING. Folk music with Edward
Haber.
2:00 COUNTRY MUSIC ALTERNA-
TIVES. Bluegrass and traditional music
with Tom Tortorella. On today's pro-
gram, we celebrate African-American
History Month with music of Charley
Pride from a compact disc of his
Greatest Hits. We'll hear such classics
as You're Mv Jamaica. Honkv Tonk
Blues and Burgers and Fries. Also on
today's show is music of Hank Williams,
from the CD I Ain't Got Nothin' But
Time. December 1946 - April 1947
Volume 1.
3:30 UNSUNG HEROES. Music with
Jordyn Tyson.
4:30 JAZZ SAMPLER with Bill Farrar.
6:00 HEAR AND NOW. New music
with Cynthia Bell and Julie Lyonn
Lieberman.
7:00 HOUSING NOTEBOOK with
members of the Metropolitan Council
on Housing.
8:00 WORLD DANCE PARTY. African,
Caribbean and Afro-Cuban music,
produced by Al Angeloro.
WBAl FM 99.5
Page 5
10:30 RADIO UNNAMEABLE. Live
radio with Bob Pass.
1:00 LABBRISH. Live radio with Habte
Selassie.
SUNDAY February 4
5:00 SOUNDTRACK. All about the
cinema with Paul Wunder.
7:00 MARTIN SOKOL'S THROUGH
THE OPERA GLASS Regina Fiorito
Sokol and Anthony Coggi examine and
comment on that most precious
operatic commodity, the Black male
singer. Interviews with Benjamin Mat-
thews and Wayne Sanders of Opera
Et)ony and the tenor, Vinson Cole will
be heard.
9.30 HERE OF A SUNDAY MORN-
ING. Early music with Chris Whent.
1 1 :30 HARD WORK. Live radio with
Mike Feder.
1:00 CON SABOR LATINO. Issues
and music from the Latino community,
with Mickey Melendez and Hernando
Alvariccl.
5:30 LATINO JOURNAL Producer
Santiago Nieves focuses on the issues,
concerns, and interests of the tri-state
area's growing Latino community.
6:00 THE WBAl EVENING NEWS
6:30 BLACK! RED! THEN. NOW?
This program will explore new and on-
going developments between Blacks
and Indians, and also those who have
this unique dual heritage. Produced by
Jim Buck.
7:30 THE GAY SHOW. Join Urry
Gutenberg, Bob Storm and Lee Ryan
for the latest in Gay/Lesbian features
and news including a report on the
New York AIDS Coalition.
8:30 EMANATIONS. Uve radio with
Bernard White.
10:30 THE GOLDEN AGE OF RADIO.
Vintage radio with Max Schmid.
12:30 NEWS REBROADCAST
1:00 BACK OF THE BOOK. For the
video portion of this morning's
extravaganza we'll be showing Robert
Mapplethorpe's nude photographs of
Pussifica T. Catt. Caution: some of
these photos are considered
homoerotic by Senator Jesse Helms,
who is not himself considered erotic,
but who knows Tipper Gore whose
name is. In the audio portion of our pro-
gram we'll disclose plans for a portable
reality dissolver that you can make out
of chicken tenders. Also: how to break
the id-ice at your Valentine's Day party.
Free Form Live Radio by R. Paul Martin.
3:00 EVERYTHING OLD IS NEW
AGAIN. Music with Dave Kenney.
Th» Atliinlic 1 heoler Company performs pliiys by David Mamel and Slid Silvcrslcin live
from llie F.mpire Hotel on Monday, February Sih at 8pm.
the Beat, a radio stew of jazz and clas-
sics. Today's features include a preview
of the Feb. 9th concert of the Sheila Jor-
dan/Harvie Swartz Duo at the Cathedral
of St. John the Divine.
MONDAY Februarys
6:00 THE MORNING MAGAZINE with
Rosemari Mealy.
8:00 UNDERCURRENTS
8:30 THE MORNING SHOW continues
9:30 ALWAYS REMEMBERED: A
Musical Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther
King. Featuring music dedicated to
him and based on his speeches,
including the broadcast premiere of
David Baker's Through This Vale of
Tears. Hosted by world-renowned
pianist Andre Watts. (Satellite)
12:00 NATURAL LIVING. Health and
nutrition, with Gary Null.
1:00 LOOKING BACK/TOWARDS
THE FUTURE: African-American
History. WBAl continues its 30th
anniversary celebration with a series of
archive programs commemorating
African-American History Month and
the struggle for civil rights. Opening
this series is an interview with Rosa
Parks, who on December 1, 1955
quietly said "no" - thus beginning the
modern civil rights movement. In the
interview, she discusses why she
refused to give up her seat to a White
man and move to the back of the bus.
(Archive)
1:30 HUMAN RIGHTS IN AMERICA.
Discussions, with Uoyd D'Aguilar and
Joy James.
2:30 IN SEARCH OF ROBERT
JOHNSON. Producer Dred Scott and
blues historian Peter Guralnick look at
one of the most influential (and un-
known) musicians of our time, Robert
Johnson. His music has touched the
Ftolling Stones, Muddy Waters, John
Lee Hooker and many others.
4:30 THE WBAl ARTS MAGAZINE
with host, Lee Lowenfish - Beauty and
6:00 THE WBAl EVENING NEWS
6:45 UNDERCURRENTS
HIGHLIGHTS
7:00 BEHIND THE NEWS. An in-depth
discussion of the day's events,
produced by Samori Marksman.
7:30 WORLD VIEW. International is-
sues with Samori Marksman.
8:00 LIVE FROM THE EMPIRE
HOTEL. A group of plays by David
Mamet and Shel Silverstein, written for
live radio presentation and performed
by the Atlantic Theater Company from
the Empire Hotel at Lincoln Center.
Produced by Patricia Wolff and
directed byW.H. Macy; produced for
WBAl by Charles Potter and Dan
Finton; hosted by Treat W/illiams.
10:00 LIVE RADIO DRAMA. Actors
from the Atlantic Theater Company dis-
cuss the fragile art of live radio drama
and how it compares with working on
the stage, TV and film, as they come
directly from the performance of a
group of plays written for live presenta-
tion on radio (see above).
11:00 NEWS REBROADCAST
1 1 :45 UNSTUCK IN TIME. Live radio
with Margot Adier.
1:00 THE MOORISH ORTHODOX
RADIO CRUSADE. Xerox-zines.
Sufism, and other fun for brainiacs.
Live radio with Peter Lamborn Wilson.
3:30 ON THE ROCKS. Music with
Roxanne.
Page 6
VVBAI FM 99.5
An Interview With John Kani, South African Actor
Last spring, when playwright Athoi Fugard first
showed actor John Kani the script of Mv Children!
My Africa, it was with considerable nervousness.
"He told me I might well want to have nothing to do
with this play," the 47-year-old star recalls. "He was
nervous about the character of the teacher, Mr. M.
He knows that my reputation as an actor in South
Africa is intertwined with my reputation as part of
the struggle for the liberation of the country. In the
part of Mr. M., there were things he knew I might
not agree with or want to project using my own
image in South Africa."
In actuahty, Fugard need not have worried. In a
sense, Kani's path crossed with that of Fugard's poig-
nant schoolteacher before the playwright ever wrote
the play. Speaking of Mr. Fugard, Mr. Kani said,
"I've always felt like I had to pay back the man who
was very important at a crucial time in my life when
I didn't know what was going to happen, being
young in South Africa with no future at hand and no
dream, just wanting to be something. When I met
him (Fugard), I knew exactly what I wanted to be.
So I've always felt it, if I could do something for
Athol, apart from working together for a better
South Africa, I could repay some of that debt."
Kani takes a pause, an actor's finely-honed, ironic
pause, and continues. "I told him that if I could feel
that I had done something for Lisa (Fugard's
daughter, who also appears in the play), to give her
a hand in this profession, I would feel I paid him
back. Our lovely joke was that I would say to him
that when the revolution comes and I have to kill
you, I would kill you with a clean heart, because I
don't owe you."
As Associate Director of Johannesburg's Market
Theater, Kani knows there is a future for My
Children! My Africa! Kani's own goals for the play
are clearly defined. "I wanted to be given the oppor-
tunity to do the play in a small space, to share the
experience with American people. I have no dreams
of Broadway. I have dreams of a free South Africa,
and it took a lot of persuasion to make me leave
home even for this long. This is a very important
time in the history of South Africa, and there is a
feeling in me that I have to be there every minute of
it. There is much work to be done."
Some of that work involves what Kani calls the
Market Theater's "laboratory." "Wc train young ac-
tors, young writers, young directors and wc have
what we call our township outreach. We go to the
Black areas and introduce theater. Wc go to schools
and demystify Shakespeare and the great texts, the
books of the great English writers, because the
educational system is so Victorian in its nature and
so alien to the African culture. Even the medium of
instruction is English, so you find the young Black
students are having a very tough time being taught in
a foreign language, learning a foreign culture, under-
standing foreign literature. When we do the works
as a group of actors, it helps them in their under-
standing and in their writing of exams."
It goes without saying that John Kani has known a
considerable number of teachers like Mr. M - dedi-
cated, caring individuals whose lives and values have
been placed at risk in a changing Africa. "There was
a time in the 80s when the slogan in the struggle
among the youth was Liberation Now, Education
Later," he says. "Many of them cracked up. Some of
them gave up the profession they loved and lived for
to go back to industry. Some took early retirement
because they couldn't watch an uneducated nation.
This was a complement, almost, to those teachers - a
national suicide, which happened as a complement
to the struggle itself. Eventually wc learned that we
have to carry the spear on one side and knowledge
on the other hand."
A decade and a half ago, John Kani enjoyed a
Broadway triumph with a pair of alternately per-
formed plays: Si.swe Ban/i Is Dead and The Island,
which he and his co-star Wmston Nlshona wrote in
collaboration with Fugard. When Kani and Nlshona
returned home, after having won Best Actor Tony
awards for 1975, they were jailed and forced to en-
dure 28 days of solitary confinement before being
released. This time, nothing so humiliating is likely
to happen to John Kani, but he will neverlhclcss still
have to carry a pas.sbook and he may even have to
tolerate harassment in the form of random searches
and questioning. "The labor laws of South Africa do
not recognize Black people as professional artists,"
he says. "Things, however, have relaxed," he admit.s,
"and now they do not bother us under the vagrancy
.statutes. There is .still no clear-cut regulation that
says I can be an artist."
Joseph Hurley
Listen to Joseph Hurley's inlemew with John Kani on
the Friday Arts Atancirine, Friday, February 9lh at
4:30pm.
WBAl FM 99.5
Page 7
TUESDAY February 6
6:00 THE MORNING MAGAZINE with
Otizen Kafka
S:00 UNDERCURRENTS
8:30 THE MORNING SHOW continues
9:30 ALL MIXED UP. Radio collages
with Peter Bochan.
12:00 NATURAL LIVING. Health and
nutrition with Gary Null
1:00 LOOKING BACK/TOWARDS
THE FUTURE: African-American
History. In this second installment of
WBAIs special archive series for
African-A/nerican History l\4onth,
James Farmer, former National Direc-
tor of CORE, speaks about the
development of CORE, which he says
was accelerated by the Montgomery
Bus Boycott and the student sit-in
movement. He speaks about the im-
pact of the Freedom Rides in forcing
desegregation of interstate transport-
ation systems in the South and the
experiences and confrontations he and
the riders face during this phase of the
civil rights movement. Recorded in
1960. (Archive)
1:30 THE ALLIANCE REPORT
produced in association with the
rational Alliance of Third World
Journalists.
2:30 AMERICAN JAZZ RADIO
FESTIVAL Trumpeter Winton Marsalis
performs the music of Duke Ellington
with a full orchestra of Ellington alumni,
featuring the Ellington/Strayhorn or-
chestration of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker
Suite. (Satellite)
4:30 THE WBAl ARTS MAGAZINE
with Eva Yaa Asantewaa and Jennifer
Bernet.
6:00 THE WBAl EVENING NEWS
6:45 UNDERCURRENTS
HIGHLIGHTS
7:00 BEHIND THE NEWS. An in-depth
discussion of the day's events,
produced by Samori Marksman.
7:30 ARTHUR SCHOMBURG: AFRO-
LATIN SCHOLAR. In paying tribute to
this great scholar and institution
builder, this program will explore the
cultural dualism which shaped the life
and thought of this Black Puerto Rican
patriot who founded the world's largest
collection of research materials on the
AJrican-American experience. Produced
by Samori Marksman, Sam Anderson
and Elombe Brath.
8:30 CONVERSATIONS IN THE ARTS
9:00 STOLEN MOMENTS. Jazz with
Mahmoud Ibrahim.
10:00 THE WRITE STUFF ■ a program
about writers, produced in association
with the Writers Union, hosted by
Brandon Judell.
1 1 :00 NEWS REBROADCAST
1 1 :45 LATE NIGHT LIVE RADIO with
Carletta J. Walker.
1 :00 WEAPONRY. Military affairs and
hardware with Tom Wisker.
3:30 MONSTERS FROM THE ID.
Punk rock from the dark side of your
brain. A show not to be slept through,
and we won't let you. VWth Ed Banger
and Sue Real.
WEDNESDAY February 7
6:00 THE MORNING MAGAZINE with
a guest host.
8:00 UNDERCURRENTS
John Kani. Tony award-winning South
African actor, is inlen iewed by Jostph
ll..rl.y »r. ih> frldilY ^'"''^ Miipayinf on
Feb. 9th at 4:30pm.
8:30 THE MORNING SHOW continues
9:30 GHOSTS IN THE MACHINE:
WOMEN IN POP. The divas of pop,
funk, punk, rap, reggae, and other
good-for-your-soul styles, in music,
scene reports, and interviews. With
host Victoria Starr.
12:00 NATURAL LIVING. Health and
nutrition with Gary Null.
1 :00 LOOKING BACK/TOWARDS
THE FUTURE: African-American His-
tory. This WBAl archive special outlines
the political, economic and social im-
pact of the 1964 Mississippi Freedom
Movement, and demonstrates the ef-
fect that the movement had on the
history of the United States and how it
stimulated social change. (Archive)
1 :30 CITY POLITICS. Discussions with
David Mendelsohn.
2:30 AFRICAN HOLISTIC HEALTH A
discussion of African health and
nutrition begins with Dr. Uaila O. Afrika,
author of African Holistic Health.
Producer and host Shelton Walden
speaks with Dr. Afrika about how the
African-American community can
ideally improve its health.
3:30 HEALING AFRICAN AMERICA:
OUR NUTRITION. Nutritionists offer a
guide to issues crucial to the health of
the African-American community. How
can nutrition combat heart disease,
hypertension, obesity and stress? What
are the special nutritional needs of
children and pregnant women? What
essential role does nutrition play in the
recovery of persons addicted to alcohol
and drugs? How can healthy eating be
inexpensive, creative and fun? Explore
these topics today with producer Eva
Yaa Asantewaa.
4:30 THE WBAl ARTS MAGAZINE
with Malika Lee Whitney. Featuring the
Fvenino Serial at 4:30, selected shorts
at 4;45pm, Pickney Place, a program of
storytelling at 5;00, and interviews at
5:30.
6:00 THE WBAl EVENING NEWS
6:45 UNDERCURRENTS
HIGHLIGHTS
7:00 BEHIND THE NEWS. An in-depth
discussion of the day's events,
produced by Samori Marksman.
7:30 EXPLORATIONS. Science and
peace issues with Michio Kaku.
8:30 THE CUTTING EDGE: BLACK
NEWS AND VIEWS. Produced by Dred
Scott.
9:00 SOUNDS OF BRAZIL with
Mildred Norman. Brazilian music -
regional, folk, cult and popular, old and
new.
10:00 THE PERSONAL COMPUTER
SHOW. Host, Joe King. Co-hosts. Hank
Kee, and David Burstein. Produced in
cooperation with the New York
Amateur Computer Club.
1 1 :00 NEWS REBROADCAST
1 1 :45 EARTHWATCH. Live radio with
Robert Knight.
1 :30 CARRIER WAVE. Live radio with
Sidney Smith.
3:30 COSMIK DEBRIS. Music from
the Void.
THURSDAY Februarys
6:00 THE MORNING MAGAZINE with
Dred Scott.
8:00 UNDERCURRENTS
9:30 SHOCKING BLUE. Music with
Oelphine Blue.
12:00 NATURAL LIVING. Health and
nutrition with Gary Null.
1 :00 THIS WAY OUT. The internation-
al magazine for and about the Lesbian
and Gay community, now heard on
Thursday.
Pages
WBAl FM 99.5
ABOUT THE BLUES...
When people hear "the blues" they immediately
recall the image of an old Black man in the country,
playing the guitar and singing a sad tune about hard
times, a lost love or some other misfortune. Or they
flash to Chicago, Memphis or Harlem in the 1920's
and imagine a full-voiced Black woman, hands on
hips, who sings a more upbeat song about com-
parable concerns. Or they imagine no one in
particular, but equate the music to an emotional
state: part excitement, part depression, all heart and
guts.
I guess I think about all those things too, when I
hear "the blues." But that's not all I think about.
Embedded in the term, contained in these pictures
of the old man and full-voiced woman and woven
into the sounds, lyrics and sensations of the music,
are certain suppositions about culture and history.
We know who the players are in the story of the
blues, and we know the scenarios that lead up to the
creation of the blues. Notions of race, class, social
status and politics loom over Muddy Waters* licks
and Bessie Smith's moans. The history of the blues
is part of the history of the United Stales, and that
component is as old and settled as a rusty soda-pop
sign in a traveler's consciousness. The blues whips
up a panorama of extra-musical associations that,
whether one chooses to acknowledge them or not,
situates the music of the blues in African-American
life of this century.
In terms of the visual arts, the blues functions as one
of several perspectives that artists encounter in our
lime. It can either inspire an artist to create a par-
ticular work or it can actually be the model upon
which work is created. Of one is knowledgeable
about Afro-America - its history, its traditions, its
geography, its verbal and visual codes, its heroes, its
demons, its ever-changing styles and its spiritual
side - then one knows the blues.
Richard J. Powell
from the exhibition catalogue Tl\e Blues Aesthetic:
Black Culture and Modernism, published by the
Washington Project for the Arts. Mr. Powell is curator
of the exhibition and professor of art history at Duke
University.
1:30 GRAY PANTHER REPORT with
Lydia Bragger.
2:30 THIS SPACE FOR RENT (open
slot for new programming)
3:30 YOU CANT FLUSH YOUR
TROUBLES AWAY. Environmental
hazards of conventional sewage
systems and the alternative methods of
disposing of human waste - the political
dimensions of the problem and
proposed solutions. Produced by Curtis
Ellis.
4:30 THE WBAl ARTS MAGAZINE.
Lee Ryan, host. Featuring the Evening
Sfilifll at 4:30 and Frederick GeoBold's
Uohtshow.
6:00 THE WBAl EVENING NEWS
6:45 UNDERCURRENTS
HIGHLIGHTS
7:00 BEHIND THE NEWS. An in-depth
discussion of the day's events,
produced by Samori Marksman.
7:30 BUILDING BRIDGES. A special
report on health and safety in the
workplace, with a representative of the
New York Committee on Safety and
Health (NYCOSH) speaking on the
status of VDT legislation in NYC and the
status of the Suffolk County law. Plus
Bill Kane, New Jersey Area Director,
Region 9, UAW, speaking about the
New Jersey Right to Act Bill, which
would empower workers to refuse to
work on unsafe projects and give the
communities the right to inspect environ-
mentally unsafe workplaces. Produced
by Mimi Rosenberg and Ken Nash.
8:30 RADIO FREE EIREANN. A show
on Ireland and the Irish Freedom
struggle. Produced by Mick Dewan and
John McDonagh.
9:00 MARGARET WALKER AT THE
SCHOMBURG. The author speaks
about her realtionship with writer
Richard Wright and her own career as
an author and poet.
10:00 CARIBBEAN AND LATIN
AMERICAN REPORT produced by
Annette Walker and others.
1 1 :00 NEWS RE8ROADCAST
1 1 :45 INVESTIGATIONS. Live radio
and documentary with Andrew Phillips.
1:00 PRIMARY SOURCES. Live radio
with interim host. Bob Fass.
3:30 MORNING DEW. A program
devoted to the music of the Grateful
Dead. Produced by Lance Neal.
FRIDAY February 9
6:00 THE MORNING MAGAZINE with
Will K. Wilkins,
8:00 UNDERCURRENTS
8:30 THE MORNING SHOW continues
9:30 THIRD WORLD MUSIC
MASTERS. Music with R.B. Isles.
12:00 NATURAL LIVING. Health and
nutrition issues with Gary Null.
1:00 SOUTH AFRICA NOW: THE
RADIO EDITION. A radio
newsmagazine on the events in
Southern Africa, delving into the story
behind the reports coming from South
Africa and the Frontline states. This pro-
gram defies the media ban/censorship
imposed by the Apartheid regime.
Produced by Globalvision Television
and adapted for radio by Sally O'Brien
and Zenzile Khoisan.
1:30 MEDIUM HOT. International
affairs with an emphasis on how the
different media present the issues. With
Adele Oilman and Sheila Ryan.
2:30 ALTERNATIVA LATINA. The
Alternativa Latina Collective brings you
up-to-date news and information on the
reality of Latin America and its people,
both here and abroad. The only bi-lin-
gual program focussing on the politics,
culture and history of Latin America, this
show includes the weekly feature,
produced by Gonzalo Aburto, Romoien-
do el Silencio (Breaking the Silence),
dealing with the issues affecting the
Gay and Lesbian Latino community.
4:30 THE WBAl ARTS MAGAZINE
with host Joseph Hurley, featuring the
Evening Serial at 4:30, and The Screen-
ing Room at 5:30 with Paul Wunder and
Joseph Hurley reviewing and discussing
the latest films. In a special feature
today, an interview with John Kani, one
WBAI FM 99.5
Page 9
of South Africa's leading actors. KanI
has long been associated with
playwright Athol Fugard, in whose most
recent play MyAfrical MyChildrenI he
recently appeared at the Perry Street
Theater. Toward the end of the
production's limited engagement, John
Kani spoke to Joseph Hurley about his
life since he first appeared in new York
in 1974 and about the South Africa to
which he has since returned.
6:00 THE WBAI EVENING NEWS
6:45 DATELINE NICARAGUA. The
story behind the headlines - news and
features direct from Managua.
Produced by Julie Light.
7:00 AIDS IN FOCUS, a weekly
magazine on the politics and culture of
the AIDS pandemic, produced by
Michael Alcalay.
7:15 FEARFUL SYMMETRY with Leo
Cawiey.
8:00 BEHIND THE SCREENS. Movie
matters with Delores Hayes.
8:30 A MOVEABLE FEAST. Authors
read and discuss their latest works with
Tom Vitale. Tonight, Terri McMillan read-
ing from her second novel,
Disappearina Acts.
9:00 HOME FRIES. Uve radio,
comedy, music and call-ins with Fred
Herschkowitz.
10:30 BLACK ROCK COALITION
12:00 NIGHTFLYTE. Music with Kofi
Pendergrass.
3:00 MUSIC FROM THE CENTER OF
THE EARTH with hosts Bill Wells and
Gary Olson.
SATURDAY February 10
5:00 HOUR OF THE WOLF. Science
fiction, fantasy, enchantment, and the
Imagination. Live radio with Jim Freund.
7:00 AS I PLEASE. "... for none of us
can ever express the exact measure of
his needs or thoughts or his sorrows;
and human speech is like a cracked
kettle on which we tap crude rhythms
for bears to dance to, while we long to
make music that will melt the stars."
8:30 ANY SATURDAY. Uve radio with
David Rothenberg.
10:30 LUNCHPAIL Live radio with Paul
Gorman.
12:30 PIPER IN THE MEADOW STRAY-
ING. Folk music with Edward Haber.
2:00 COUNTRY MUSIC ALTERNA-
TIVES. Bluegrass and traditional music
with Tom Tortorella. We continue our
celebration of Black History Month with
more music of Charley Pride, today
featuring the CD The Best of Charley
Pride. We'll hear such classics as Jusl
Between You and Me. Kaw Liga and Lei
the Chios Fall. We'll also hear from the
Hank V/illiams CD I nvesiek Blues.
August 1947 - December 1946.
3:30 SLIPKNOT! Music with Spyder.
4:30 JAZZ SAMPLER with Bill Farrar.
6:00 HEAR AND NOW. New music
with Cynthia Bell and Julie Lyonn
Lieberman.
7:00 HOUSING NOTEBOOK with
members of the Metropolitan Council
on Housing.
8:00 WORLD DANCE PARTY. African,
Caribbean and Afro-Cuban music,
produced by Al Angeloro.
10:30 RADIO UNNAMEABLE. Uve
radio with Bob Pass.
1 :00 LABBRISH. Uve radio with Habte
Selassie.
SUNDAY February 11
5:00 SOUNDTRACK. All about the
cinema with Paul Wunder.
7:00 MARTIN SOKOL'S THROUGH
THE OPERA GLASS. Regina Rorito
Sokol, Executive Producer. Michael
Scarola presents a retrospective of Leon-
tyne Price, the first internationally
known African-American prima donna.
9:30 HERE OF A SUNDAY MORNING.
Early music with Chris Whent.
1 1 :30 HARD WORK. Live radio with
Mike Feder.
1:00 CON SABOR LATINO. Issues and
music from the Latino community, with
Mickey Melendez and Hernando
Alvaricci.
5:30 LATINO JOURNAL Producer
Santiago Nieves focuses on the issues,
concerns, and interests of the tri-state
area's growing Latino community.
6:00 THE WBAI EVENING NEWS
6:30
7:30 OUTLOOKS: THE GAY AND
LESBIAN COMMUNITY ON THE AIR.
Produced by the Gay and Lesbian Inde-
pendent Broadcasters (G.L.I.B.).
Tonight: perspectives on Black history.
8:30 EMANATIONS. Live radio with
Bernard White.
10:30 THE GOLDEN AGE OF RADIO.
Vintage radio with Max Schmid.
12:30 NEWS REBROADCAST
1:00 THE CREATIVE UNITY
COLLECTIVE
3:00 EVERYTHING OLD IS NEW
AGAIN. Music with Dave Kenney.
MONDAY" February 12
6:00 THE MORNING MAGAZINE with
Rosemari Mealy.
8:00 UNDERCURRENTS
8:30 THE MORNING SHOW continues
9:30 MORNING MUSIC. Host Paul Mer-
rill plays and reviews music of this
season's forthcoming World Music In-
stitute concerts.
12:00 NATURAL LIVING. Health and
nutrition, with Gary Null.
1:00 LOOKING BACK/TOWARDS
THE FUTURE: African-American
History. In this Pacifica archive special,
a musical history of the civil rights move-
ment which was originally a part of 3M
Civil Rights Series. Dr. Bernice Johnson
Reagon tells us about the music which
accompanied the civil rights movement
and analyses the role that music played.
(Archive)
1:30 WHERE WE LIVE SPECIAL:
Political Prisoners in the United
States. An in-depth analysis of the ques-
tion of political prisoners in the US.
Includes interviews with Mutulu Shakur,
Sylvio Baraldini, Susan Rosenberg,
Unda Evans, Geronimo Pratt and
others. Produced by Sally O'Brien with
Zenzile Khoisan and Rosemari Mealy.
4:30 THE WBAI ARTS MAGAZINE
with host, Lee Lowenfish - Beauty and
the Beat, a radio stew of jazz and clas-
sics. Today's guest is Edward Jablonski,
author of Happy With the Blues, who
helps celebrate the 85th birthday of
Harold Arlen.
6:00 THE WBAI EVENING NEWS
6:45 UNDERCURRENTS HIGHLIGHTS
7:00 BEHIND THE NEWS. An in-depth
discussion of the day's events,
produced by Samori Marksman.
7:30 WORLD VIEW. International
issues with Samori Marksman.
8:30 SEQUOYAH - NATIVE
AMERICAN NEWS produced by Jim
Buck.
9:00 THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE
SYSTEM: Its Function and Effect on
African-Americans. The psychology,
sociology and "media-ology ". A special
three-part report examining the criminal
justice system from initial arrest to con-
clusion, its function in society and its
effect on African-Americans as in-
dividuals and as communities. Part One
looks at the structure, process and
media involved in arrests, releases and
indictments: who gets arrested, who
gets charged, and why? Guests include
representatives from the Center for Con-
stitutional Rights, the Legal Aid Society
and the Center for Social Justice, as
well as individuals formerly arrested,
tried and/or incarcerated. Hosted and
produced by Carletla Joy Walker and
co-hosted by Safiya Bandele of the
Center for Women's Development at
Medgar Evers College. Parts Two and
Three will be heard on Tuesday and
Wednesday in this timeslot.
Page 10
WBAI FM 99.5
From The Program Director
When people ask me, "So... how do you like your
new job?", I answer with one word: exhilarating.
WBAI means many things to many people. Here,
the laws of cause and effect are exaggerated and ac-
celerated. I believe we all (staff and listeners) have
grand plans for and fantasies about what WBAI is
or could be - but ultimately, WBAI exerts its own
irracible personality: its best side and its worst, its
brilliance and disappointments, its fears and hopes.
No single person is ever responsible - we all are.
Since I've been in this chair a lot has changed in the
world, and I've found that one thing a radio station
like ours can do is respond quickly to change. It is
truly an essential characteristic of this medium. I
believe our Panama coverage is a good example - 1
think our producers did outstanding and important
work, and I want to officially thank them and to
thank those of our listeners who supported us
during those broadcasts, (sse page 16 - Ed.)
Now on to program changes. You may already have
noticed that the early morning line-up is changing,
and we plan to continue shaping it over the coming
months. We will be working with existing producers
and inviting new talent into the slot to try out. Begin-
ning this month, our News Department moves into
the mornings with regular reports at 10 minutes
before the hour. WBAI spends a large amount of its
income on news, and we feel we will better serve
our morning audience with news updates that in-
clude both Pacifica national and international
coverage with our own stories. The evening news
remains as is.
In the afternoons, we are opening up two hours
each day (2:30-4:30pm, Monday through Thursday)
for new programming. We receive many program
proposals from new as well as current producers,
and there are many good programs available to us
from other national and international sources which
I know many listeners would like to hear. This two
hour timeslot will permit us greater programming
flexibility and access for more producers - but of
course it means changes in the current line-up. Al-
ternativa I.atina moves to Fridays at 2:30pm. We
lose Roscoc's free-form music show and NQMMO
Eadia- The Undercurrents Friday show and Dennis
Bernstein's Friday A ficrnnnn have been canceled
and Medium Hot moves to 1:30pm on Fridays. This
Way Out moves to 1:00pm on Thursdays (check list-
ings for details).
Following Natural Living on Monday, Tuesday and
Wednesday, we are continuing our 30th anniversary
archive documentary series, Looking Back/Towards
the Future, as we try to understand what has hap-
pened over these past 30 years and what impact it
will all have on the new decade. Last month, we ran
programs examining the East-West crisis and the
Berhn Wall - this month, we review aspects of the
civil rights movement and African-American history.
With the current upheavals all over the globe, the
big question facing us is: "Old Left, New Left,
what's Left?" WBAI and its community of listeners
must respond to this question if we are to continue
to seriously value the ideals we have stood for over
the past thirty years. With this in mind, I am propos-
ing that WBAI arrange an event of some kind,
perhaps with other appropriate institutions, to ex-
amine these questions. We are currently looking for
funding and partners to undertake such a venture
and would like to do it as soon as possible.
I am pleased that Wagner's Ring cycle is back with
us again this year. I am also looking forward to hear-
ing Anthony Davis do a special program
investigating American Music in Conflict. I had the
good fortune to meet Anthony at last year's Com-
poser to Composer conference in Teluride, where
he had an interesting and provocative exchange
with John Cage on the nature and importance of im-
provisation and the relevance of politics in music.
We will also begin a series of programs looking at
education and the African-American community.
The series will commence with an oral history from
a former school principal and the father of Mike
Sargent, the producer of the series. Another new
series on the environment starts this month as well.
I intend for WBAI to play a leading role in inves-
tigating the crises and expanding listeners'
awareness on environmental issues in th future.
Please write me with your comments. Your feed-
back is considered and helps construct the future.
Andrew Phillips
Program Director
WBAI 99.5 FM
Page 11
1 1 :00 NEWS REBROADCAST
11:45 UNSTUCK IN TIME. Uve radio
with Margot Adier.
1:00 WALDEN'SPONO. Ashow
discussing animal rights, ecology, and
spirituality. Hosted by Shelton Walden.
3:30 ON THE ROCKS. Music with
Roxanne.
TUESDAY February 13
6:00 THE MORNING MAGAZINE with
Citizen Kafka.
8:00 UNDERCURRENTS
8:30 THE MORNING SHOW continues
9:30 THIRD WORLD GALLERY. Music
with Chico Alvarez.
12:00 NATURAL LIVING. Health and
nutrition with Gary Null.
1:00 LOOKING BACK/TOWARDS
THE FUTURE: Atrlcan-American
History. WBAI continues its special
archive series with the Rev. Ralph
Abernathy's speech in Washington, DC
at the Poor Peoples Campaign's
Solidarity Day in 1968. He gives a brief
history of the civil rights movement and
speaks of America's treatment of Blacks
as emulative of Vietnam, which "almost
succeeded in creating our own Black
version of the Viet Cong in American
cities." Pan Two will be heard tomorrow
at 1pm. (Archive)
1:30 FRONTLINE: MIDDLE EAST
produced by Phyllis Bennis.
2:30 AMERICAN JAZZ RADIO
FESTIVAL Under the direction of
clarinetist Dr. Michael White, the New
Orleans Hot Seven play a wide variety of
pieces by the early jazz composer Jelly
Roll Morton.
4:30 THE WBAI ARTS MAGAZINE
with Eva Yaa Asantewaa and Jennifer
Bernet.
6:00 THE WBAI EVENING NEWS
6:45 UNDERCURRENTS HIGHLIGHTS
7:00 BEHIND THE NEWS. An in-depth
discussion of the day's events,
produced by Samori Marksman.
7:30 ECONONEWS.
8:30 THE SHAKESPEARE
LIBERATION FRONT PRESENTS...
9:00 THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE
SYSTEM: Its Function and Effect on
African-Americans. Part Two of a
special three-part report examining the
criminal justice system from initial arrest
to conclusion, its function in society and
its effect on African-Americans as in-
dividuals and as communities. Today,
we examine the possibilities, options
and influences affecting trial, verdict
and sentencing: who gets what type of
sentence, and why? Special guests
Richard Thompson, noted British folksinger, songwriter and guil;iri-sl, will he featured
in concert on I'ipcr In The Meadow Siraving. Saturday, Feh. 1 7th at 1 2:.^0pm.
include representatives from the Center
for Constitutional Rights, the Legal Aid
Society and the Center for Social
Justice, as well as individuals formerly
arrested, tried and/or incarcerated.
Hosted and produced by Carletta Joy
Walker and co-hosted by Safiya
Bandele of the Center for Women's
Development at Medgar Evers College.
Part Three will be heard Wednesday
night in this timeslot.
11:00 NEWS REBROADCAST
1 1 :45 LATE NIGHT LIVE RADIO with
Carletta J. Walker.
1 :00 WEAPONRY. Military affairs and
hardware with Tom Wisker.
3:30 PUNK AND HARDCORE. Music
with Susan Browne.
WEDNESDAY February 14
6:00 THE MORNING MAGAZINE with
a guest host.
8:00 UNDERCURRENTS
8:30 THE MORNING SHOW continues
9:30 GHOSTS IN THE MACHINE:
WOMEN IN POP. The divas of pop,
funk, punk, rap, reggae, and other good-
for-your-soul styles, in music, scene
reports, and interviews. With host
Victoria Starr.
12:00 NATURAL LIVING. Health and
nutrition with Gary Null.
1:00 LOOKING BACK/TOWARDS
THE FUTURE: African-American
History. WBAI continues its special ar-
chive series with Part Two of the Rev.
Ralph Abernathy's speech in
Washington, DC at the Poor Peoples
Campaign's Solidarity Day in 1968.
1:30 THE POSITIVE MIND with
Armand DiMele.
2:30 GANDHI IN THE PARK: On
Freedom. An inquiry into the nature and
real scope of freedom. What can we
really do? How far can we change the
world? How far can we change our-
selves? If we see how difficult change is,
how narrow our igal freedom, maybe we
can be a little more tolerant of our
neighbor. Produced by William Borman.
4:30 THE WBAI ARTS MAGAZINE
with Malika Lee Whitney. Featuring the
Evening Serial at 4:30, selected shorts
at 4:45pm, Pickney Place, a program of
storytelling at 5;00, and interviews at
5:30.
6:00 THE WBAI EVENING NEWS
6:45 UNDERCURRENTS HIGHLIGHTS
7:00 BEHINDTHENEWS. An in-depth
discussion of the day's events,
produced by Samori Marksman.
7:30 EXPLORATIONS. Science and
peace issues with Michio Kaku.
8:30 THE CUTTING EDGE: BLACK
NEWS AND VIEWS. Produced by Dred
Scott.
9:00 THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE
SYSTEM: Its Function and Effect on
African-Americans. A special three-part
report examining the criminal justice
system from initial arrest to conclusion,
its function in society and its effect on
African-Americans as individuals and as
communities. Today, Part Three looks at
the levels and implications of release,
imprisonment and parole: who goes to
jail and what is the function of parole?
Special guests include representatives
from the Center for Constitutional
Rights, the Legal Aid Society and the
Center for Social Justice, as well as
Page 12
WBAI FM 99.5
BLACK WOMEN: SOME REFLECTIONS
Achievements Against The Odds
During this Black/African History Month, as we
enter into the decade of the 90s, we are reminded
that the Black/ African woman's struggle remains a
daily one.
As we reflect upon the folk heroines like Harriet
Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Ida B. Wells, Rosa Parks
and Fannie Lou Hamer to name a few - those who
refused to relinquish their African womanspirit to
racist oppression and sexual inequality. Their
stance, combined with that of African-American
men, fostered movements that led to our own
modern strides towards freedom in the United
States.
Black/African-American women have also worked
apart in their own organizations, defining a "Black
woman's ideology." For example. Black feminists
have asserted their right to confront and challenge
two main avenues of thought. They have resented
the intense pressure from the Black/African com-
munity to see sexism only in terms of the arena of
heterosexual relationships and have summarily
rejected the White women's movement's middle-
class experience as the guide post to women's
liberation.
Black/African-American women have made con-
tributions in all areas of society. For example, Lucy
Parsons (1853-1942) was active in the radical labor
movement for over sixty years. She published books,
pamphlets and newspapers, and lead many
demonstrations for free speech. The Chicago police
considered her "more dangerous that a thousand
rioters." "We arc the slaves of slaves," she once said.
"We are exploited more ruthlessly than men."
With a rich heritage predating the birth of many
European civilizations, African-Americans continue
to demonstrate their talents in the graphic and plas-
tic arts. As slaves, we were locked into a system
which thoroughly discouraged free expression, yet
the Black/African craftspeople were able to use
their gifts to fashion implements and articles for the
plantation. Many of these were women, who made
pots and wove intricate designs into textiles and
straw in the African tradition. During the Harlem
Renaissance, Augusta Savage emerged as one of the
leading sculptors of the era. The National Archive
Gift Collection holds her noted works Gamin' and
Lift Every Voice and Sing.
Finally, with a sense of independence and racial
pride, African-American women writers have con-
tinued to give expression to the frustrations and joys
of their people. The tradition goes back to women
like Phyllis Wheatley, who was the first slave and the
second woman to publish a book of verse in the
United States, to writers like Toni Morrison and
Alice Walker, who have won acclaim in the modern-
day mainstream publishing world.
Our hope during this time of celebration and rcHcc-
tion is that from this time forward, we will not
hesitate to stand up for the Black community in
general and the African/American woman in par-
ticular, placing them on every present and future
agenda of social and political development. As
WBAI celebrates its 30th year of broadcasting as a
listener-sponsored station, our programming this
month reficcts our commitment to presenting a dif-
ferent view of US history, one of "achievements
against the odds."
Rosemari Mealy
WBAI Producer
individuals formerly arrested, tried
and/or incarcerated. Hosted and
produced by Carletta Joy Walker and
co-hosted by Safiya Bandele of the
Center for Women's Development at
Medgar Evers College.
1 1 :00 NEWS REBROADCAST
1 1 :45 EARTHWATCH. Uve radio with
Robert Knight.
1 :30 CARRIER WAVE. Uve radio with
Sidney Smith.
3:30 OUT OF THE SHADOWS. Music
with Don Scherdin.
THURSDAY February 15
6:00 THE MORNING MAGAZINE with
Dred Scott.
8:00 UNDERCURRENTS
9:30 SHOCKING BLUE, fuluslc with
Delphine Blue
12:00 NATURAL LIVING. Health and
nutrition with Gary Null.
1:00 THIS WAY OUT. The international
magazine for and about the Lesbian
and Gay community, now heard on
Thursday.
1:30 LISTENERS' ACTION ON
HOMELESSNESS AND HOUSING.
2:30 THIS SPACE FOR RENT (a time
slot reserved for new programming)
3:30 CYCLING AND RECYCLING. The
first in a series of programs discussing
ecological issues in the city. Today, we
ponder an auto-free New York - the
concept, its potential and the alternative
vehicles which will get us there. Guests
will include George Haikalis. Chairman
of the Auto-Free New York Committee
and George Blissm human-powered
vehicle designer. Produced and hosted
by Charles Komanoff and Carl
Hultsberg.
4:30 THE WBAI ARTS MAGAZINE.
Lee Ryan, host. Featuring the Evening
WBAI 99.5 FM
Page 13
Serial at 4:30 and Frederick GeoBold's
Ughtshow
6:00 THE WBAI EVENING NEWS
6:45 UNDERCURRENTS HIGHLIGHTS
7:00 BEHIND THE NEWS. An in-depth
discussion of the day's events,
produced by Samori Marksman.
7:30 BUILDING BRIDGES. The
community labor report with Mimi
Rosenberg and Ken Nash.
8:30 RADIO FREE EIREANN. A show
on Ireland and the Irish Freedom
struggle. Produced by Mick Dewan and
John McDonagh.
9:00 THIS SPACE FOR RENT (no
scheduled program at press time)
10:00 AFRIKALEIDOSCOPE with
Bombe Brath.
11:00 NEWS REBROADCAST
11:45 LATE NIGHT LIVE RADIO
1:00 PRIMARY SOURCES. Uve radio
with interim host, Bob Fass.
3:30 LIVE AIR - or is it Dead Air?
Anyway, music and live stuff with
partners in crime David Nolan and Doug
Cheesman.
FRIDAY Februan 16
6:00 THE MORNING MAGAZINE with
Will K. Wilkins.
8:00 UNDERCURRENTS
8:30 THE MORNING SHOW continues
9:30 THIRD WORLD MUSIC
MASTERS. Music with R.B. Isles.
12:00 NATURAL LIVING. Health and
nutrition issues with Gary Null.
1:00 SOUTH AFRICA NOW: THE
RADIO EDITION. A radio
newsmagazine on the events in
Southern Africa, delving into the story
behind the reports coming from South
Africa and the Frontline states. This
program defies the media ban/censor-
ship imposed by the Apartheid regime.
Produced by Globalvision Television
and adapted for radio by Sally O'Brien
and Zenzile Khoisan.
1:30 HEALTHSTYLES. Current issues
in health care, with WBAI's Nursing and
Health Resources Network.
2:30 ALTERNATIVA LATINA. The
Alternativa Latina Collective brings you
up-to-date news and information on the
reality of Latin America and its people,
both here and abroad. The only bi-lin-
gual program focussing on the politics,
culture and history of Latin America, this
show includes the weekly feature,
produced by Gonzalo Aburto, Rompien-
do el Silencio (Breaking the Silence),
dealing with the issues affecting the
Gay and Lesbian Latino community.
4:30 THE WBAI ARTS MAGAZINE
with host Joseph Hurley, featuring the
Evening Serial at 4:30, and The
Screening Room at 5:30 with Paul
Wunder and Joseph Hurley reviewing
and discussing the latest films.
6:00 THE WBAI EVENING NEWS
6:45 DATELINE NICARAGUA. The
story behind the headlines - news and
features direct from Managua.
Produced by Julie Light.
7:00 AIDS IN FOCUS, a weekly
magazine on the politics and culture of
the AIDS pandemic, produced by
Michael Alcalay.
7:1 5 FEARFUL SYMMETRY with Leo
Cawley.
8:00 WORKING TITLE. Readings
produced by Alina Avila.
8:30 A MOVEABLE FEAST. Authors
read and discuss their latest works with
Tom Vitale. Tonight, Los Angeles perfor-
mance artist and poet La Loca recites
Adventures on the Island of Adoles-
cence.
Noted African-Amcriciin soprano E.sthcr
Minds conies to Qui There On Their Own on
Mondiiy, Fcbniiiry 19lli .il 9:30ain.
9:00 HOME FRIES. Uve radio,
comedy, music and call-ins with Fred
Herschkowitz.
10:30 BLACK ROCK COALITION
12:00 NIGHTFLYTE. Music with Chet
Jackson.
3:00 MUSIC FROM THE CENTER OF
THE EARTH with hosts Bill Wells and
Gary Olson.
SATURDA^ February 17
5:00 HOUR OF THE WOLF. Science
fiction, fantasy, enchantment, and the
imagination. Live radio with Jim Freund.
7:00 AS I PLEASE. "... for none of us
can ever express the exact measure of
his needs or thoughts or his sorrows:
and human speech is like a cracked
kettle on which we tap crude rhythms
for bears to dance to, while we long to
make music that will melt the stars "
8:30 ANY SATURDAY. Uve radio with
David Rothenberg.
10:30 LUNCHPAIL Uve radio with Paul
Gorman.
12:30 RICHARD THOMPSON IN
CONCERT. Acclaimed English
songwriter and virtuosic guitarist
Richard Thompson recorded at the New
Ritz in NYC on June 8, 1989. This
program was produced by Natalie
Budelis. Associate Producer, Edward
Haber. Engineered by Natalie Budelis,
Deidre Campbell and Edward Haber.
2:00 COUNTRY MUSIC ALTERNA-
TIVES. Bluegrass and traditional music
with Tom Tortorella. Today we feature a
new album from the Coon Creek Girls
called Playing Our Respect.
3:30 UNSUNG HEROES. Music with
Jordyn Tyson.
4:30 JAZZ SAMPLER with Bill Farrar.
6:00 HEAR AND NOW. New music
with Cynthia Bell and Julie Lyonn Ueber-
man.
7:00 HOUSING NOTEBOOK with
members of the Metropolitan Council
on Housing.
8:00 WORLD DANCE PARTY. African,
Caribbean and Afro-Cuban music,
produced by Al Angeloro.
10:30 RADIO UNNAMEABLE. Uve
radio with Bob Fass.
1 :00 LABBRISH. Uve radio with Habte
Selassie.
SUNDAY February 18
5:00 SOUNDTRACK. All about the
cinema with Paul Wunder.
6:00 DERRINGDESNIBELUNGEN.
Yes, its back! The long-standing WBAI
tradition of broadcasting the entire Ring
cycle on (or around) the traditional ob-
servance of Washington's Birthday. We
will pre-empt all regularly scheduled
programming (except for the evening
news at 6pm) in order to bring you not
only the music (this year, the Kraus
recordings) but live and taped commen-
tary and interviews as well. On this day
the word "marathon" (not a very popular
one with our listeners, as the words
'1und raiser " all too frequently follow it)
has positive and even exciting connota-
tions. Only a station like WBAI could
dedicate almost twenty hours to a single
work of art simply because it is a work
of art. If you have never listened to the
Ring before or have, perhaps, never
dreamed of hearing the whole thing in
one session, please tune in a give it a
try. After all, Wagner took a quarter of a
Page 14
WBAI FM 99.5
century to complete it - dedicating twen-
ty hours of your own time to it seems
more than fair. And you might even
learn something - that's why we're here.
Produced by (who else?) Manya.
6:00 THE WBAI EVENING NEWS
6:30 DER RING DES NIBELUNGEN
CONTINUES
2:00 BACK OF THE BOOK. Valentine s
day being over, your rejected host will
scrub up with some Self surfactant
preparatory to jettisoning his Wel-
tanschauung and imploding. Featured:
Hector and Anvil interview J. Danforth
Quayle Ill's internal head lice. Nature
abhors a vacuum. Bye Bye to f^^adame
Expurgatrix Major. We predict som-
nolence in her wake. Free Form Live
Radio by R. Paul Martin.
3:00 EVERYTHING OLD IS NEW
AGAIN. Music with Dave Kenney.
MONDAY February 19
6:00 THE MORNING MAGAZINE with
Rosemari Mealy.
8:00 UNDERCURRENTS
8:30 THE MORNING SHOW continues
9:30 OUT THERE ON THEIR OWN:
ESTHER HINDS. One of the most con-
tinuously utilized Black sopranos on the
concert and opera stages of the world,
Esther Hinds was an alternate Bess in
the Houston Opera's celebrated revival
of George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess.
She has also played Cleopatra in the
recent full-length recording of the late
Samuel Barber's Antonv and Cleopatra.
Her concert repertoire ranges from Bach
and Beethoven to Faure and Poulenc. In
addition, she is Artistic Director of the
Voices Saintpaulia and performs in a
Gospel trio with her two sisters. She
comes to talk about her life and music
with host/producer Joseph Hurley.
10:30 ROOTS AND ALEX HALEY. Pulit-
zer prize-winning author Alex Haley and
his books are discussed, including his
work on The Autobiooraphv of Malcolm
X and A Different Kind of Christmas.
(Satellite)
12:00 NATURAL LIVING. Health and
nutrition, with Gary Null.
1:00 LOOKING BACK/TOWARDS
THE FUTURE: African-American
History. Continuing our special archive
series commemorating African-
American History Month, this week we
focus on the philosophy and life of
Malcolm X, who was assassinated 25
years ago February 21st. "The Ballot Or
the Bullet" is one of Malcolm's most
famous speeches, and sheds light on
the vision which contributed greatly to
the new militancy within Black organiza-
tions of that time. Part Two will be heard
tomorrow at this time. (Archive)
1:30 HUMAN RIGHTS IN AMERICA.
Discussions, with Uoyd D'Aguilar and
Joy James.
2:30 THE YOUTH AND THE ELEC-
TORAL PROCESS IN NICARAGUA.
The legal age to vote in Nicaragua is 16.
The youth today were about six years
old when Somoza was overthrown.
Now, 10 years later, they will vote for the
first time. How do they perceive the
electoral process and the state of the
nation? To whom do they owe their
allegiances? Produced by Anibal Pozzo.
with reporting by Jeannie Hopper.
3:15 THIS SPACE FOR RENT (nothing
scheduled at press time)
4:00 STORIES FROM HOME. Hujam-
bo! Akwaba! Kariba! Welcome to African
folktales for the diaspora. This program
brings you folktales from Africans and
African-Americans with drums to set the
feeling and mood. These tales have in-
fluenced cultures all over the world.
They reflect the magic, the wonder, the
fantasy and the reality of life. In them,
one is not surprised that animals talk,
that trees have magic powers or that
people turn into other things. Some
stories are taken from truth, others are
pure imagination - but they all make
you think and feel. And in the tradition
of our oneness with each other and na-
ture, these stories help to convey
lessons on how human beings should
relate to everything around them.
Stories read by Marcia Brown. Produced
and engineered by Ulysses T. Good.
4:30 THE WBAI ARTS MAGAZINE
with host, Lee Lowenfish - Beauty and
the Beat, a radio stew of jazz and clas-
sics. Today is the legal version of
Washington's birthday, and we'll
celebrate by playing Dinah Washington,
and have invited young jazz stars Kenny
and Peter Washington (drummer and
bassist, respectively).
6:00 THE WBAI EVENING NEWS
6:45 UNDERCURRENTS HIGHLIGHTS
7:00 BEHIND THE NEWS. An in-depth
discussion of the day's events,
produced by Samori Marksman.
7:30 WORLD VIEW. International
issues with Samori Marksman.
8:30 SEQUOYAH - NATIVE
AMERICAN NEWS produced by Jim
Buck.
9:00 A TASTE OF THE BLUES with
Tom Pomposello.
10:00 JOURNEY INTO A CHANGING
NIGERIA. A special report on Nigeria's
sixth Military President Ibrahim
Babangida's visit to the United States in
January, accompanied by Major
General Ike Nwachukwu, his Foreign
Minister. Producer Amanda Peterson
met up with the two African leaders to
discuss the purpose of the visit, the
Presidents plans to hand over power to
a civilian government in 1992, US-
Nigerian relations and many other
critical issues affecting the people of
Nigeria.
1 1 :00 NEWS REBROADCAST
11:45 UNSTUCK IN TIME. Uve radio
with Margot Adier.
1:00 THE MOORISH ORTHODOX
RADIO CRUSADE. Xerox-zines, Sufism,
and other fun for brainiacs. Uve radio
with Peter Lamborn Wilson.
3:30 ON THE ROCKS. Music with
Ftoxanne.
TUESDAY February 20
6:00 THE MORNING MAGAZINE with
Citizen Kafka.
8:00 UNDERCURRENTS
8:30 THE MORNING SHOW continues
9:30 ALL MIXED UP. Radio collages
with Peter Bochan.
12:00 NATURAL LIVING. Health and
nutrition with Gary Null.
1:00 LOOKING BACK/TOWARDS
THE FUTURE: African American
History. Continuing our special archive
series commemorating African-
American History Month, this week we
focus on the philosophy and life of
Malcolm X, who was assassinated 25
years ago February 21st. "The Ballot Of
the Bullet" is one of Malcolm's most
famous speeches, and sheds light on
the vision which contributed greatly to
the new militancy within Black organiza-
tions of that time. Part II (Archive)
1:30 THE ALLIANCE REPORT
produced in association with the Nation-
al Alliance of Third World Journalists.
2:30 AMERICAN JAZZ RADIO FES-
TIVAL Subtitled "Bouncin' With Bud",
this program is also a tribute to bebop
music and features such artists as Barry
Harris, Slide Hampton, Jimmy Heath
and Johnnie McLean. (Satellite)
4:30 THE WBAI ARTS MAGAZINE
with Eva Vaa Asantewaa and Jennifer
Bernet.
6:00 THE WBAI EVENING NEWS
6:45 UNDERCURRENTS HIGHLIGHTS
7:00 BEHIND THE NEWS. An in-depth
discussion of the day's events,
produced by Samori Marksman.
7:30 DR. W.E.B. DUBOIS: Father of
Pan-Africanism, Peace Activist and
Scholar. This program will examine the
life and works of the late African-
American freedom-lighter. Produced by
Samori Marksman and WBAI's Dr.
Gerald Home, author of Black and Red:
The Autobiography of DuBois.
8:30 A ZPPR PRODUCTION. A special
so;1 of radio drama.
WBAI 99.5 FM
Page 15
We commcmorale (he 25lli anniversiiry of
Ihc assassination of thr great Africnn-
American leader Malcolm X with mnny
special programs on February 21sL
9:00 STOLEN MOMENTS. Jazz with
Mahmoud Ibrahim.
10:00 AIDSTALK IV. In the fourth of the
AIDSTALK series, PWA Larry Gutenberg
focuses on the issue of sen/ices avail-
able to persons of color who have AIDS.
As has recently been acknowledged and
reported in the media, this population is
disproportionately affected with the
disease.
1 1 :00 NEWS REBROADCAST
1 1 :45 LATE NIGHT LIVE RADIO with
Carletta J. Walker.
1 :00 WEAPONRY. Military affairs and
hardware with Tom Wisker.
3:30 MONSTERS FROM THE ID. Punk
rock from the dark side of your brain. A
show not to be slept through, and we
won't let you. With Ed Banger and Sue
Real.
WEDNESDAY February 21
6:00 THE MORNING MAGAZINE with
a guest host.
8:00 UNDERCURRENTS
8:30 THE MORNING SHOW continues
9:30 GHOSTS IN THE MACHINE:
WOMEN IN POP. The divas of pop,
funk, punk, rap, reggae, and other good-
for-your-soul styles, in music, scene
reports, and interviews. With host
Victoria Starr.
12:00 NATURAL LIVING. Health and
nutrition with Gary Null.
1:00 MALCOLM X: A Retrospective.
We begin our commemoration of the
25lh anniversary of the assassination of
Malcolm X with this award-winning
Pacifica documentary produced by
Chris Koch in 1965. The piece covers
the life of Ai-Hajj Malik Al-Shabazz from
his first impact on the Black Power
movement and the Black Muslim
movement in 1960 to his assassination
in 1965. (Archive)
2:00 THE PRICE OF FREEDOM IS
DEATH. On the 21st day of February,
1965, at a meeting of the OAAU in the
Audabon Ballroom in Harlem, shots
rang out - and Malcolm X was dead.
Twenty-five years later we will be look-
ing back at his life and his message.
What impact does he carry today? How
is he viewed by the Third World? These
and other topics will be discussed with
invited guests professor Bill Sales and
Abdul Al Kalimat, both of whom are
doing research into some aspect of
Malcolm's life. Also hear the words from
some of the most famous speeches of
this great African-American hero, as well
as music dedicated to and inspired by
him. Produced by Bernard White and
Ulysses T. Good with Dred Scott and
Rosemari Mealy.
6:00 THE WBAI EVENING NEWS
6:45 UNDERCURRENTS HIGHLIGHTS
7:00 BEHIND THE NEWS. An in-depth
discussion of the day's events,
produced by Samori Marksman.
7:30 EXPLORATIONS. Science and
peace issues with Michio Kaku.
8:30 THE CUTTING EDGE: BLACK
NEWS AND VIEWS. Produced by Dred
Scott.
9:00 NEW YORK COLLAGE. The
common roots of all music originating
in the Caribbean Islands, and all that it
has grown into. Bring on the good
sounds! Produced by Nancy Rodriguez.
10:00 THE PERSONAL COMPUTER
SHOW. Host, Joe King. Co-hosts, Hank
Kee, and David Burstein. Produced in
cooperation with the New York Amateur
Computer Club.
1 1 :00 NEWS REBROADCAST
1 1 :45 EARTHWATCH. Live radio with
Robert Knight.
1 :30 CARRIER WAVE. Live radio with
Sidney Smith.
3:30 COSMIK DEBRIS. Music from the
Void.
THURSDAY February 22
6:00 THE MORNING MAGAZINE with
Dred Scott.
8:00 UNDERCURRENTS
9:30 SHOCKING BLUE. Music with
Delphine Blue.
12:00 NATURAL LIVING. Health and
nutrition with Gary Null.
1 :00 THIS WAY OUT. The international
magazine for and about the Lesbian
and Gay community, now heard on
Thursday.
1:30 GRAY PANTHER REPORT with
Lydia Bragger.
2:30 AMERICAN MUSIC IN
CONFLICT. Anthony Davis is one of
North America's most important contem-
porary composers. His works include
the opera X: The Life and Times of Mal-
colm X. He is the leader of the Anthony
Davis Group and Epistemi. He will dis-
cuss his life as a classical composer.
Celcbriitc llic lives of women of color with The Stations {'ojlcclite on
Thursday, February 22nd at 9pni.
Page 16
\N BAI FM 99.5
Panama: A Reporter's Diary
December was an extraordinary monlh for Under-
currents and WBAI. Coming on the heels of our
special coverage of the FMLN's "maximum offen-
sive" in San Salvador, we had the chance to provide
the most thorough coverage of developments in
Panama, culminating in the invasion and continuing
occupation.
I traveled in Panama during November and Decem-
ber 1989, during which time the Undercurrents
team accurately predicted: 1) the Bush
administration's apparent violation of the Panama
Canal treaties by failing to name as Chief Ad-
ministrator the nominee of the Panamanian
government; 2) the accession of General Manuel
Noriega to chief of state (which made direct assas-
sination of Noriega problematic even for the Bush
administration); 3) the probability of a US invasion;
4) the plans for serious resistance and continuous
guerilla operations in such an event; and 5) the
likelihood of a protracted occupation by US troops.
While in Panama, I was also presented with the fate-
ful opportunity to be the sole civilian observer at an
armed military confrontation in which US troops
falsely accused a Panamanian military patrol of
planting a bomb at Miraflorcs Locks, in an eerie
foreshadowing of one of the pretexts used for
President Bush's invasion.
Immediately after a weekend shootout with US
troops at the Panama Defense Forces head-
quarters, I secured an exclusive interview with
Noriega on December 18th, two days before Presi-
dent Bush's midnight invasion. Noriega claimed the
US troops were armed and that they fired first,
injuring several Panamanians before fire was
returned, resulting in the death of an American. US
officials had at first claimed the troops were un-
armed, then that they had "gotten lost" in front of
PDF headquarters. This interview was carried over
wire services, radio and television, and in
newspapers across the country.
Then, on December 22nd, while the combined
forces of the United States were seeking the
whereabouts of the general. Undercurrents ob-
tained a communique from Noriega, indicating that
he was alive and at large, despite rumors carried
throughout the day on CNN that he had been
captured. The irony is that although this Undercur-
rentsAVBAI exclusive was carried by national
media, it was not reported over CNN, which is car-
ried over SCN, the US military's Southern
Command Network, meaning that the only news
outlet available in Panama at that time was not
reportingany of this.
This type of vital information about Panama, El Sal-
vador, Colombia and other Latin American crisis
points would not be available without the Undercur-
rents crew, the WBAI staff and, equally importantly,
you listeners who have voted for the free flow of
information with your consistent spiritual and finan-
cial support. We thank all of you and look forward
to your continued support in the dangerous times to
come.
Robert Knight
Senior Protkiccr, L'ndcrcurrcnts
4:30 THE WBAI ARTS MAGAZINE.
Lee Ryan, host. Featuring the Evening
Serial at 4:30 and Frederick GeoBolds
LiQhtshow.
6:00 THE WBAI EVENING NEWS
6:45 UNDERCURRENTS HIGHLIGHTS
7:00 BEHIND THE NEWS. An in-depth
discussion of the day's events,
produced by Samori Marl<sman,
7:30 BUILDING BRIDGES. Labor news
of the month in review, including a
roundtable discussion by labor jour-
nalists on the month's developments.
Produced by Ken Nash and Mimi
Rosenberg.
8:30 RADIO FREE EIREANN. A show
on Ireland and the Irish Freedom
struggle. Produced by Mick Dewan and
John McDonagh.
9:00 THE STATIONS COLLECTIVE. A
discussion with [)orothy Randall Gray,
Storme Webber and Cheryl Boyce
Taylor about this women's theater
ensemble which exists to celebrate ihe
diversity and common experiences of
women of color through poetry, music
and dance. Produced by Valecia Phillips.
10:00 CARIBBEAN AND LATIN
AMERICAN REPORT produced by
Annette Walker and others.
1 1 :00 NEWS REBROADCAST
1 1 :45 INVESTIGATIONS. Live radio
and documentary with Andrew Phillips.
1 :00 PRIMARY SOURCES. Live radio
with interim host, Bob Fass.
3:30 MORNING DEW. A program
devoted to the music of the Grateful
Dead. Produced by Lance Neal.
FRIDAY Ktbniiiry 2.^
6:00 THE MORNING MAGAZINE with
Will K. Wilkins.
8:00 UNDERCURRENTS
8:30 THE MORNING SHOW continues
9:30 THIRD WORLD MUSIC
MASTERS. Music with R.B. Isles.
12:00 NATURAL LIVING. Health and
nutrition issues with Gary Null.
1 :00 SOUTH AFRICA NOW: THE
RADIO EDITION. A radio
newsmagazine on the events in
Southern Africa, delving into the story
behind the reports coming from South
Africa and the Frontline states. This
program defies the media ban/censor-
ship imposed by the Apartheid regime.
Produced by Globalvision Television
and adapted for radio by Sally O'Brien
and Zenziie Khoisan.
1:30 MEDIUM HOT. International
affairs with an emphasis on how the
different media present the issues. With
Adele Oitman and Sheila Ftyan.
2:30 ALTERNATIVA UTINA. The
Alternativa Latina Collective brings you
up-to-date news and information on the
reality of Latin America and its people,
both here and abroad. The only bi-lln-
gual program focussing on the politics,
culture and history of Latin America.
WBAI 99.5 FM
Page 17
James Baldwin discusses living and
growing In a While world on Monday, Feb.
26lh al Ipm.
4:30 THE WBAI ARTS MAGAZINE
with host Joseph Hurley, featuring the
Evening Serial at 4:30, and The Screen-
ing Room at 5:30 with Paul Wunder and
Joseph Hurley reviewing and discussing
the latest films.
6:00 THE WBAI EVENING NEWS
6:45 DATELINE NICARAGUA. The
story behind the headlines - news and
features direct from Managua.
Produced by Julie Light.
7:00 AIDS IN FOCUS, a weekly
magazine on the politics and culture of
the AIDS epidemic, produced by
Michael Alcalay.
7:15 FEARFUL SYMMETRY with Leo
Cawley.
8:00 BEHIND THE SCREENS. Movie
matters with Delores Hayes.
8:30 A MOVEABLE FEAST. Authors
read and discuss their latest works with
Tom Vitale. Tonight, Julian Barnes
reads from his novel, A History of the
World in 10 1/2 Chapters.
9:00 THE BERNIE STARR SHOW.
Rock 'n roll and comedy adventure.
12:00 NIGHTFLYTE. Music with Kofi
Pendergrass.
3:00 MUSIC FROM THE CENTER OF
THE EARTH with hosts Bill Wells and
Gary Olson.
SATURDAY Febriian, 24
5:00 HOUR OF THE WOLF. Science
fiction, fantasy, enchantment, and the
imagination. Live radio with Jim Freund.
7:00 AS I PLEASE. ". . for none of us
can ever express the exact measure of
his needs or thoughts or his sorrows:
and human speech is like a cracked
kettle on which we tap crude rhythms
for bears to dance to, while we long to
make music that will melt the stars."
8:30 ANY SATURDAY. Uve radio with
David Rothenberg
10:30 LUNCHPAIL Live radio with Paul
Gorman.
12:30 PIPER IN THE MEADOW
STRAYING. Folk music with Edward
Haber,
2:00 COUNTRY MUSIC ALTERNA-
TIVES. Bluegrass and traditional music
with Tom Tortorella. Today we pay
tribute to Bluegrass greats Lester Ran
and Earl Scruggs by playing such clas-
sics as Rint Hill Special and Foogv
Mountain Breakdown.
3:30 SLIPKNOT! Music with Spyder.
4:30 JAZZ SAMPLER with Bill Farrar.
6:00 HEAR AND NOW. New music
with Cynthia Bell and Julie Lyonn
Lieberman.
7:00 HOUSING NOTEBOOK with
members of the Metropolitan Council
on Housing.
8:00 WORLD DANCE PARTY. African,
Caribbean and Afro-Cuban music,
produced by Al Angeloro.
10:30 RADIO UNNAMEABLE. Uve
radio with Bob Fass.
1 :00 LABBRISH. Live radio with Habte
Selassie.
SUNDAY February 25
5:00 SOUNDTRACK. Ail about the
cinema with Paul Wunder.
7:00 MARTIN SOKOL'S THROUGH
THE OPERA GLASS. Regina Rorito
Sokol, Executive Producer. From the
archives, Martin Sokol features a double
bill of Scott Joplin's ragtime opera
Treemonisha and the superlative
American bass-baritone Paul Robeson
in recital.
9:30 HERE OF A SUNDAY MORNING.
Early music with Chris Whent.
1 1 :30 HARD WORK. Live radio with
Mike Feder.
1 :00 CON SABOR LATINO. Issues and
music from the Latino community, with
Mickey Melendez and Hernando
Alvaricci.
5:30 LATINO JOURNAL Producer
Santiago Nieves focuses on the issues,
concerns, and interests of the tri-state
area's growing Latino community.
6:00 THE WBAI EVENING NEWS
6:30 THAT OLD TIME RELIGION.
Documents of the Civil Rights struggles.
Recordings of speeches and songs
from the 60s Blacks and Whites.
Produced by Bill Canaday.
7:30 OUTLOOKS: THE GAY AND
LESBIAN COMMUNITY ON THE AIR.
Produced by the Gay and Lesbian
Independent Broadcasters (G.L.I.B.).
Tonight - Lesbians who love porn:
reclaiming our own sexuality.
8:30 EMANATIONS. Uve radio with
Bernard White.
10:30 THE GOLDEN AGE OF RADIO.
Vintage radio with Max Schmid.
12:30 NEWS REBROADCAST
1.00 THE CREATIVE UNITY
COLLECTIVE
3:00 EVERYTHING OLD IS NEW
AGAIN. Music with Dave Kenney.
MONDAY February 26
6:00 THE MORNING MAGAZINE with
Rosemari Mealy.
8:00 UNDERCURRENTS
8:30 THE MORNING SHOW continues
9:30 MORNING MUSIC.
12:00 NATURAL LIVING. Health and
nutrition, with Gary Null.
1:00 LOOKING BACK/TOWARDS
THE FUTURE: African-American
History. James Baldwin, perhaps one of
the most important writers of the 20ih
century, is remembered in this
WBAI/Pacifica archive special. In a talk
to students at a predominantly African-
American high school in Oakland, CA,
Mr. Baldwin discusses the issue of living
and growing in a White world. (Archive)
1:30 EMILE DeANTONIO: RADICAL
ARTIST REMEMBERED. A celebration
of this pioneer of the "New American
Cinema" movement of the 1950s, where
artists mixed politics and a "liberation
esthetic" into their work. DeAntonio
broke new ground in form and content
in radical filmmaking. His career reflects
Provocative African-Anicriciin poet
Sapphire, Wednc>dn)', Fcbrunr) 28lh
al 4pm.
Page 18
VVBAI FM 99.5
the turbulence of modern North
American history, from the McCarthy
era to the Ploughshares movement.
This program will include discussions of
his works with colleagues and friends,
and will include Andrew Phillips' radio
documentary of the filmmaker.
Produced by Stuart Hutchison and
Andrew Phillips.
6:00 THE WBAI EVENING NEWS
6:45 UNDERCURRENTS HIGHLIGHTS
7:00 BEHIND THE NEWS. An in-depth
discussion of the day's events,
produced by Samori Marksman.
7:30 WORLD VIEW. International
issues with Samori Marksman.
8:30 SEQUOYAH - NATIVE
AMERICAN NEWS produced by Jim
Buck.
«:00 GET RHYTHM! Music with Pat
Rich.
10:00 ASIAN/AMERICAN FOCUS.
Issues, events and analysis of the New
York Asian-American community.
Produced by Michael Matsumoto.
11:00 NEWS REBROADCAST
11:45 UNSTUCK IN TIME. Live radio
with Margot Adier.
1:00 WALDEN'SPOND. Ashow
discussing animal rights, ecology, and
spirituality. Hosted by Shelton Walden.
3:30 ON THE ROCKS. Music with
Roxanne.
TUESDAY February 27
6:00 THE MORNING MAGAZINE with
Citizen Kafka.
8:00 UNDERCURRENTS
8:30 THE MORNING SHOW continues
»:30 THIRD WORLD GALLERY. Music
with Chico Alvarez.
12:00 NATURAL LIVING. Health and
nutrition with Gary Null.
1:00 LOOKING BACK/TOWARDS
THE FUTURE: African-American
History. We conclude our 30th
anniversary archive special series with a
two-part special on Harriet Tubman.
Born into slavery, she risked her life and
freedom after escaping to the North by
returning to the South 19 times, leading
over 300 men, women and children to
liberty by means of the Underground
Railway. Produced by Darcel King (Part
Two will air tomorrow at this time.)
(Archive)
1:30 FRONTLINE: MIDDLE EAST
produced by Phyllis Bennis.
2:30 AMERICAN JAZZ RADIO
FESTIVAL 82 year old
saxophonist/composer Benny Carter is
saluted with a birthday concert that
includes performers such as Hank
Jones, Ray Brown, Dizzy Gillespie and
Sylvia Syms. All of the music played is
composed by Carter. (Satellite)
4:30 THE WBAI ARTS MAGAZINE
with Eva Yaa Asantewaa and Jennifer
Bernet.
6:00 THE WBAI EVENING NEWS
6:45 UNDERCURRENTS HIGHLIGHTS
7:00 BEHIND THE NEWS. An in-depth
discussion of the day's events,
produced by Samori Marksman.
7:30 ECONONEWS. With Martin de
Kadt and Rick Schrader.
8:30 A SOLDIER'S PLAY: Charles
Fuller. Award-winning playwright
Charles Fuller's life and work Is ex-
amined. His Obie-winning Soldier's
Play, upon which the movie A Soldier's
Story is based is included in the discus-
sion. (Satellite)
9:00 STOLEN MOMENTS. Jazz with
Mahmoud Ibrahim.
10:00 A PROFILE OF THREE
AFRICAN-AMERICAN AND
CARIBBEAN FILMMAKERS. A close
look at Sinclair Bourne, US documen-
tarian, who most recently directed The
Making of "Do The Right Thing",
children's filmmaker Carmen Costeau,
and Euzhan Paley, director of A Dry
White Season. Produced by Rosemari
Mealy.
11:00 NEWS REBROADCAST
1 1 :45 LATE NIGHT LIVE RADIO with
Carletta J. Walker.
1 :00 WEAPONRY. Military affairs and
hardware with Tom Wisker.
3:30 PUNK AND HARDCORE. Music
with Susan Browne.
WEDNESDAV February 28
6:00 THE MORNING MAGAZINE with
a guest host.
8:00 UNDERCURRENTS
8:30 THE MORNING SHOW continues
9:30 GHOSTS IN THE MACHINE:
WOMEN IN POP. The divas of pop,
funk, punk, rap, reggae, and other good-
for-your-soul styles, in music, scene
reports, and interviews. With host
Victoria Starr.
12:00 NATURAL LIVING. Health and
nutrition with Gary Null.
1:00 LOOKING BACK/TOWARDS
THE FUTURE: African-American
History. We conclude our 30th anniver-
sary archive special series with a special
on Harriet Tubman. Born into slavery,
she risked her life and freedom after
escaping to the North by returning to
the South 19 times, leading over 300
men, women and children to liberty by
means of the Underground Railway.
Produced by Darcel King. Part Two.
1:30 THE POSITIVE MIND with
Armand DiMele.
2:30 BLACKS AND EDUCATION IN
AMERICA. A glimpse of the past, a
study of the present, and ideas for the
future - featuring interviews with Black
teachers and administrators ranging
from pre-school to college, along with
discussions with Blacks who have trium-
phed in various fields of endeavor and
the difficulties they overcame. Produced
by Mike Sargent, Albert Sargent and Bill
Lee.
4:00 ARE YOU READY TO ROCK? A
discussion with African-American writer
and performance artist Sapphire about
her new one-woman show Are You
Ready To Rock? Her themes usually
explore violence against women (includ-
ing incest), racism, sexism and
heterosexism. This program will explore
each of these themes through readings
of her poetry, music and interview.
Produced by Valecia Phillips.
4:30 THE WBAI ARTS MAGAZINE
with Malika Lee Whitney. Featuring the
Evenino Serial at 4:30, selected shorts
at 4:45pm, Pickney Place, a program of
storytelling at 5:00, and interviews at
5:30.
6:00 THE WBAI EVENING NEWS
6:45 UNDERCURRENTS HIGHLIGHTS
7:00 BEHIND THE NEWS. An in-depth
discussion of the day's events,
produced by Samori Marksman.
7:30 EXPLORATIONS. Science and
peace issues with Michio Kaku.
8:30 THE CUTTING EDGE SPECIAL:
Blacks and the West. Historian William
Katz and producer Dred Scott look at
the impact of African-Americans on the
development of the US west of the Mis-
sissippi.
9:00 NEW YORK COLLAGE. The com-
mon roots of all music originating in the
Caribbean Islands, and all that it has
grown into. Bring on the good sounds!
Produced by Nancy Rodriguez.
10:00 THE PERSONAL COMPUTER
SHOW. Host, Joe King. Co-hosts, Hank
Kee, and David Burstein. Produced in
cooperation with the New York Amateur
Computer Club.
11:00 NEWS REBROADCAST
1 1 :45 EARTHWATCH. Uve radio with
Robert Knight.
1 :30 CARRIER WAVE. Live radio with
Sidney Smith.
3:30 OUT OF THE SHADOWS. Music
with Don Scherdin.
WBAI 99.5 FM
Page 19
WHAT'S INDECENT?
The first serious test of the Federal Communications
Commission's authority to regulate something called
"indecent" speech began at 2:00pm October 30, 1973,
when WBAI broadcast a comic routine by George
Carlin. The Supreme Court wasn't laughing when it
heard the case five years later. Instead, it held that
the FCC could regulate language that was not
obscene but was "patently offensive". The form of
regulation approved was the "channeling" of such
material to hours when unsupervised children were
unlikely to be exposed. For almost a decade, the
Facifica decision was interpreted simply as a require-
ment that the seven words featured in the Carlin
routine (shit, fuck, piss, cunt, cocksuckcr, motherfuck-
er and tits) could not be broadcast until after
10:00pm.
That standard changed abruptly on April 16, 1987,
the next to last day in office of outgoing FCC Chair-
man Mark Fowler. As an apparent payoff to the
conservative groups who had called off a picket
against his appointment, the Chairman announced
that the Commission would no longer limit regulation
of "indecent" speech to the post-10:00pm broadcast
of the "seven deadly words." Instead, it would apply a
"generic" concept of indecency at any hour when
there was a "reasonable risk" that "children" would
be in the audience. Indecency was now broadly
defined as "any language or material that, in context,
depicts or describes, in terms patently offensive as
measured by contemporary community standards for
the broadcast medium, sexual or excretory
activities or organs." None of the key terms -
children, reasonable risk, context, contemporary com-
munity standards for the broadcast medium, patently
offensive - were defined. Instead of explanations, the
Commission offered three examples which violated
its retrospectively applied new policy. Broadcasts by
Pacifica's Los Angeles station of a play about AIDS,
a sexually explicit song on a student-run station at the
University of California at Santa Barbara and sexual
innuendo in the talk-show of Philadelphia "shock-
jock" Howard Stern were singled out as violations of
the new policy.
The f>olicy has been in turmoil ever since. In response
to an appeal by Facifica, Action for Children's
Tfelevision and other public interest groups and broad-
cast industry representatives, a federal court of
appeals affirmed the expanded definition of indecen-
cy, but struck down the enforcement of that
definition at any time except "daytime" hours. Con-
gress responded by ordering the FCC to ban indecent
material at any time of the day or night. The court
stayed the ban. At present, the FCC is trying to ap-
pease Congress by aggressively
enforcing its indecency policy during "daytime" hours
(6:00am to 8:00pm), while gathering information
which will show that the broadcast media are so ac-
cessible at all times that only a complete ban of
indecent material can protect children from ex-
posure. Comments in response to the Commission's
inquiry arc due by January 19,1990. Topics on which
comments are invited include: data on children's
viewing and listening habits; the effectiveness of
parental supervision; the effectiveness of technologi-
cal barriers; and the availability of indecent materials
from non-broadcast sources. The Commission has in-
dicated its skepticism that any form of restriction will
be effective and its preference for a complete ban of
all indecent material.
Over the past two years, "indecency," like "abortion,"
has become a code word in a heated political con-
troversy. Congressmen have been as reluctant to
support "indecency" as they have been to support
"the murder of the unborn." Although the indecency
controversy raises a host of complex legal and social
issues, three issues are central: (1) Should the choice
of whether or not to listen to an "offensive" but con-
stitutionally protected form of speech be made by
individuals and families or by the federal govern-
ment?; (2) Is the indecency policy clear enough to
allow a broadcast station to predict what will and will
not be considered indecent?; and (3) Is it possible to
justify a ban against all sexual or excretory references
which might offend the "average broadcast listener"?
The answer to the last question is of special impor-
tance to stations like WBAI and other
non-commercial stations, which try to address mem-
bers of the population who are not "average"
listeners. Minority groups. Gays and Lesbians and
those interested in literature and the arts are not like-
ly to be content with the sort of "decent"
while-bread-and-mayonnaise programming to which
Jesse Helms and the present FCC Commissioners
wish to limit broadcast stations. Under the standard
which it has proposed, the Commission maybe per-
fectly willing to punish the late-evening broadcaster
of a Gay play in Los Angeles, a Bessie Smith tune in
Houston, or readings from Joyce, Burroughs or
Ginsburg in New York in order to eliminate the pos-
sibility that a teenager, randomly thumbing his radio
dial in Nebraska won't be able to hear a steamy song
by Prince. Are the voices of those who are not
"average" that offensive? Do we really need to be
quite so completely saved from art?
John Crigler
Haley, Baden & Potts
Page 20
\VBAI FM 99.5
WBAI's first general manager, Mel Most,
passed away on Saturday, January 6th.
While I never met him, I enjoyed our
numerous conversations on the phone
while he was preparing his article for our
30th anniversary issue of the Folio
(January, 1990). He was clear-headed,
even feisty, as he demanded that I find out
the name of a certain volunteer (buried
somewhere in the annals of WBAI his-
tory) who was the driving force behind the
early WBAI, working out of the musty
basement of the townhouse on East 39lh
Street. He would call to remind me that
what he wrote could not be altered: it was
what he believed in. Well, we believe in it
too, and we'll go on believing in what he
stood for - peace and justice and love and
human dignity. It is no wonder he was our
first manager, for he set the standards for
all of us who follow in his giant footsteps.
Rosemarie Reed
llic nncclings of Ihc I^ocal Board of Dircclon
of WRAI arc held on Ihc last lliursday of
every month at District Council 1199, 310 W
43rd Street, NYC at 6:30pm. If there arc any
change in meeting time or l<x:ation, it will be
announced frequently on the air.
WBAI is a 50,000 watt listener-sponsored
community radio station broadcasting to most
of the metropolitan area of New York and
New Jersey. Our address is: 505 8lh Avenue,
New York, NY, 10018 (212) 279-0707. 'ITie
station is licensed to the Pacifica Foundation
and broadcasts at a frequency of 99.5MHz.
SulKcriplions are available at $45yyr ($25^
student/senior), $2 of which underwrites the
cost of one year's Folio subscription. The
WBAI Folio is published 1 1 limes a year and is
distributed to all subscribers.
When drafting your will, plca.se consider
making a bequest to WBAl-l'aciflca. For
information, write or call Ro.scmarie Reed,
Station Manager, WHAI-I'M, 505 Fighth
Avenue, New York, NY, 10018 (212)
279-0707
SUBSCRIBE!
YES. I'll support listener-sponsored WBAI! Sign me up as a subscriber and send me the
Folio every month. My tax-deductible donation is enclosed.
( ) Regular rate - $45/year
( ) Student/Senior citizen rate - $25/year
( ) Additional Donation - $
Name:
Address:
City:
Phone:
State:
Zip:
Mail to: WBAI, Box 1 2345, Church Street Station, New York, N Y 1 0249
Make checks payable to PaciticaAVBAI
WBAI 99.5 FM
Page 21
Page 22
WBAI FM 99.5
Report From the Listeners:
Our Listeners' Letters
Gentlemen of Econonews:
tt's been a couple of days since I
listened to the across-the-board attack
on presumably all New York cab drivers
broadcast over your air.
As a cabbie, I'm sure I've heard and
lived as many cabbie horror stories as
anyone has over the past five years. I'm
not vifriting to deny the bullying, crude
conduct many cabbies display towards
folks they deem weaker, vulnerable and
inconvenient, such as women schlep-
ping children. Is their conduct truly
abnormal? I've come to expect thought-
ful analysis on your program - is the
deterioration of cab service a subject
you'd like to explore? If so, I respectfully
suggest a few avenues of exploration
(no pun intended):
Cabbing is no longer a job for actors
and college students. It's mainly done
by immigrants from oppressed
countries - agreed? Really, look around -
no more cafeterias with hackstands in
midtown. These things are signs of
deteriorating - may I say barbarous -
working conditions.
Murders, armed robberies and fare beat-
ing - dozens, thousands, beyond count.
The NY Tirnes reports dead NY cabbies
as a footnote to a Page 1 story dateline
Paris.
Cabbie school - 14,000 annual
graduates and no failures (?)
Traffic, air quality, 12-hour-plus work
days and stress - bad for cabbies - bad
for carriage horses, too.
I hope this helps you answer the rhetori-
cal question "What's wrong with these
cabbies?"
Sincerely,
Eugene J. Weixel
Dear Slaff of WBAI...
Thank you, thank you, thank you for
retaining your quality attitude towards
broadcasting. I have been a listener for
about 20 years; not always daily or
weekly, but I knew you were there, hold-
ing down that 99.5 FM spot of integrity,
The in-depth coverage of news, music.
health etc; the superb use of the English
language (or any other) some of you
who have spoken from your heart of
hearts, has made me proud to be called
a human being. With that connecting
thread of our unselfish selves, maybe
we have a chance to keep our voices
against the power-crazed leaders.
Whether it was Habte Selassie playing
Fela Anikulapo-Kuti's "Unknown Sol-
dier" in the middle of the night (while
driving over the Triboro Bridge); or
Carletta J. Walker speaking to us of a
personal tragedy, making me feel the
poetry of her soul; or Delphine Blue
playing the Gypsy Kings; or Michio
Kaku speaking of the unspeakable, un-
publicized events in the atmosphere; or
Gary Null's health and nutrition class; or
any one of you during any 24 hour
period, you have uplifted my Being.
So once again, thank you for keeping
your souls alive and sharing them with
us!
Very Sincerely,
Joan Grishman
Dear Folks -
I'm glad to hear of your improvements
in working quarters! I worked as an FCC
licensed radio engineer in transmitters
of radio stations for years until the FCC
revoked my license because they didn't
like my union organizing, etc.
I have been aware of the more profes-
sional working of WBAI although I am
still aware of your limitations, but still
prefer you to the "smoothies."
Very Best Wishes for 1990
Philip Boothroyd
ex: WJZ (AM & TV), WWRL, WPEN,
WNAR, WHLM (I'm 91 years old)
Dear WBAI -
Enclosed is a check for $55.00, honor-
ing pledge #35513. This is a duplicate
pledge - my husband and I each made
a pledge unbeknownst to each other •
and we had decided to ignore the
second, having already sent/paid the
first.
But, your coverage of the invasion of
Panama over the last few days has
reminded us just how significant and
what a good job vou do. so we're send-
ing in the second pledge.
Thank you for your good work. Happy
New Year.
Barbara Arnn/Nick Hill
Dear Mr. Phillips -
Hours away from the New Year, I want
to take this opportunity to express my
thanks for the remarkable contribution
WBAI makes to my work and my hope
that WBAI continues its unique role In
the progressive community.
No other media outlet. Including Nation-
al Public Radio, came close to the
extraordinary reporting and analysis the
station offered on the Panamanian in-
vasion. More important, this kind of
reporting was what we have come to
expect and look forward to.
As important to community and labor
activists is WBAI's role in informing us of
what is going on in the activist com-
munity and particularly what is
happening in the third world com-
munities of this city. WBAI has become
a truly multi-racial and multi-cultural
advocacy station.
Obviously, with a change in staff, wor-
ries mount that WBAI will soften its
advocacy and muckraking role in the
progressive community. As a con-
tributor both personally and through my
union - 1 deeply hope WBAI not only
continues BUT STRENGTHENS ITS
COMMITMENT AND CONTRIBUTION
TO THE PROGRESSIVE CAUSE.
Sincerely yours,
Miriam Thompson
Director of Community Action
Programs/Editor of Unity News
Local 259. UAW
WBAI 99.5 FM
Page 23
Photo Credits:
The Atlantic Theater page 5
Brigitte Lacombe
John Kani
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Page 24
VN'BAI 99.5 FM
LIVE FROM THE
EMPIRE HOTEL
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broadcast live from the Empire Hotel in New Vbrk City on WBAI-FM 99 5
this (lerfrKftiiince was made possiblti by a Qfn»(ous granl ic The Atlantic Ihcatet Coinpanv bv TTw iwqut HoM and Mumni Ch«fnpi)qnc
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